A Russian Reunion
by Kayla-m.f
Summary: Sequel to Friendship in Russia: It has been two years after Kai's death and Tala and the others are still mourning from the impact of his loss. What will happen when Black Dranzer and Biovolt come back into the picture? Read and review to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or Perfect World by Simple Plan the song I've used in this chapter. All I own are my own OC characters and the crazy plot twists that the insanity of my mind have decided to conjure up for this fic.**

This is the sequel to Friendship in Russia. Before you read this fic I highly advise you to go and read that fic as this one begins where the other fic left off. It has been two years after Kai's death and Bree is still mourning with the impact of his loss. Ironically enough it has also been two years since I wrote the last fic and no that was not intentional. It just took me that long to figure out a way I could continue this and I hope that this lives up to the standards of Friendship in Russia but I will let you figure that out for yourselves.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Grief**

Bree had returned from her drive and Tala could see the pain and grief that burdened his wife. He knew that he needed to be there for her and he hugged the woman. Tears flowed freely from her sea blue depths as she buried her face into the embrace.

**I never could've seen this far  
I never could've seen this coming  
Seems like my world's falling apart  
Why is everything so hard  
I don't think that I can deal with the things you said  
It just won't go away**

"Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy?" Tala heard his son ask.

The redheaded man suggested, "Kai, your mother is fine. Now why don't you go see your aunt and uncle?"

The little redheaded boy ran off and the man continued to comfort his wife. After the tears stopped they continued to stand there in the warmth of the embrace.

Tala asked, "Are you alright?"

"I guess… it's just been two years since he was killed. He'd be eighteen today and that ring he gave me would have meant something now," the woman replied sadly in longing.

I know," Tala replied but that was all he could muster to say at the moment.

He knew that Bree had been hurt the most by Kai's death. Even though they were married and had a son Tala knew that her heart belonged to Kai.

_This never should have happened. Maybe if we didn't live in such a fucked up world my best friend wouldn't have been made to leave us. I wish I could do more for Bree but for her the scars have never really fully healed. She was deeply in love with Kai but I care about her with all my heart and I will do whatever I can to try and make her happy._

The redheaded man thought as he led Bree off to join the rest of the family in the living room.

**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all**

* * *

The woman didn't really want to be there as her gloominess would take away from the merriment of the room. Everyone else had managed to come to terms with Kai's death, even his sister was doing alright this long after the incident. She just couldn't get him out of her head, still mourning over his loss.

_Is it because I was right there when it happened and should have done more to save him? Or it because I loved him and we were engaged to be married? Oh I don't know but whatever the reason it just feels like a part of me is gone. _

**I used to think that I was strong  
Until the day it all went wrong  
I think I need a miracle to make it through**

_But I'm with Tala now and I know I should be happy but I just can't let go of the past. Though I have to try and be happy for my son, I can't let him see me like this, _Bree thought as she forced a fake smile in the company of her family.

**I wish that I could bring you back  
I wish that I could turn back time  
Cuz I can't let go  
I just can't find my way  
Yeah  
Without you I just can't find my way**

She sat on the couch enveloped in Tala's arms as the two little children looked up at her.

"Mommy, I'm hungry! What you cook for supper?"

"I don't feel like cooking today. Maybe I'll just order pizza," she replied not really caring.

"But isn't pizza bad for them?" Bryan wondered.

Kayla shoved her boyfriend, "Have a heart, Bryan. Unless you want to cook, if Bree wants to order pizza then we'll have pizza."

"Fine, pizza it is then. I'll go call the delivery guy," Bryan gave in with a sigh as he got up.

"YAY PIZZA! The kids chorused as Bree heard her brother dialing the number.

A half hour later they had their pizza but the woman wasn't really hungry. Though her son had wanted his nightly bedtime story she was too overridden with grief and had gone to bed early. Bree couldn't sleep and just lay there awake for what seemed like hours.

Eventually a tired Tala had climbed into bed with the woman and had fallen asleep quite easily. But even if she had her husband's warmth to comfort her a little, try as she might she couldn't stop her active mind from racing.

Then the tears came and finally after an eternity of being awake she had cried herself to sleep. Though her sleep was a troubled one, as the memory that so painfully tore at her heart resurfaced in her dreams.

**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all**

_

* * *

_

We had heard of Boris' recent escape from prison but hoped that we would be safe as our happy household sat around the table about to have supper. I was cutting the roast in the kitchen when Kai swept his arms around me from behind.

"_Hey, need some help?"_

"_I'm fine, Kai. You'll get your food as soon as everyone else does," I replied as he distracted me from my task._

_His soft lips met mine and I set down my butcher knife, giving into the romantic gesture. It only lasted for a short while though as we pulled apart because at that moment there was a loud crash from the living room._

_Kai instinctively placed himself before me and I saw my brother do the same for Kayla as Boris entered the kitchen._

"_If you children do what I tell you no one gets hurt. Now Hiwatari, step away from the girl," my evil father ordered, wearing a wicked grin on his face._

"_Boris, get out!" Kai replied coldly._

"_And here I thought you were a smart boy, I guess I was wrong. Bryan, get over here as well! You two are coming home!"_

"_I hate to break it to you but firstly our so called home was burned to the ground a year ago, secondly I came to my senses after the World Championships. And thirdly we're not going anywhere with you, so you can go fuck yourself," my brother glared, remaining fixed on the spot in front of Kayla._

_The bastard growled, "You're just as much a lost cause as little Hiwatari here, I think that these brats have been a bad influence on you two."_

"_Nope, more like the other way around. You're the one who's the bad influence, Boris," I spoke for the first time as I defied my bastard father._

"_Enough, wench! You will come with me or need I remind you of your place and punish you for your insolence," Boris said moving a step closer to Kai and me._

"_You lay a hand on her, you bastard and I swear you'll be dead before you can realize what hit you," Kai glared in rage as he defended me._

"_You would have been such a great warrior, young Kai but now all you've become is a pathetic weakling who is a slave at the mercy of his worthless emotions," my freak of a father snorted as he drew out a gun._

_BANG!_

_That was all I heard as the love of my life fell to the ground, blood spewing from his chest._

**I don't know what I should do now  
I don't know where I should go  
I'm still here waiting for you  
I'm lost when you're not around  
I need to hold on to you  
I just can't let you go**

* * *

"KAI!"

Tala was woken from his slumber by Bree's scream as his wife bolted upright in the bed.

"Bree, it's alright," the redhead soothed, hugging her for like the umpteenth time that day.

She sobbed into his chest again and it hurt him to see his wife like this. He hated seeing her hurting and in so much pain. He knew that it was the anniversary of Kai's death that was setting her off and he also knew that there was nothing more he could do for her.

"Just try and get back to sleep, Bree. This day will be over soon," he reassured at an attempt to comfort her.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's having nightmares!"

"You're right, I'm not," Tala replied but in reality it was nowhere near easy for him.

Tala dearly missed his friend as well and the two of them remained huddled there like that for the remainder of the night.

**In a perfect world  
This could never happen  
In a perfect world  
You'd still be here  
And it makes no sense  
I could just pick up the pieces  
But to you  
This means nothing  
Nothing at all  
Nothing, nothing at all  
Nothing at all**

* * *

"Muahaha! This is the perfect place to rekindle my evil schemes. Those pitiful, trusting Canadians don't even suspect a thing," an old man cackled evilly to himself as he relaxed in his office.

The old man's peace was interrupted as a man in a lab coat dashed into the room.

"This better be good," he growled, displeased by the disturbance.

"Yes, it is Mr. Hiwatari, sir," the scientist spluttered, "Our boss says it's ready, sir."

"Ah, excellent! I shall go to meet with him then and you are to bring us the body. But as it has been in preservation for so long, make sure that you're extra careful with it," Mr. Hiwatari ordered as he rose.

The scientist dashed away from the office and the aging man left the office as well, as he purposefully strode to one of his new labs. Once he arrived he noticed a man with flaming red hair and icy blue eyes.

Upon seeing the old man the redhead addressed him, "My Lord Voltaire, I'm pleased that you could grace us with your presence so soon and on such short notice."

"Yes, well I'm as eager for this as you are, Gavril. But do you really believe that this is going to work?"

"I've ran it through the computers and with the capabilities and power of the new and improved Black Dranzer we should be able to create new life. Of course the one you wish to revive would have to be strong enough to handle the beast's power. So this is a very risky operation."

"Don't worry, the one I have in mind can handle the power," Voltaire Hiwatari replied.

As he spoke those words the scientist who had been sent off entered the lab. He was carrying the body of a young boy who looked to have been sixteen. As he arrived Voltaire ordered him to hook up the dead boy to the machines near to Black Dranzer's bit.

Voltaire allowed Gavril and his men to do their work and for a long while nothing happened. The evil man was growing impatient but then, when he was about to lose it a bright black and red light illuminated the lab.

It was the power of Black Dranzer as the dark inferno of flames licked around the boy's pale body. Eventually the flames and light dissipated within the boy's very soul. There was even colour beginning to show in his pale face as the sound of a heart monitor steadily beeped.

Though Voltaire realized that there were changes in the boy's appearance as the man grasped his wrist to check for a pulse. The boy now looked to be the young man of eighteen he should have been, were he not to have died. But his hair had transformed from its two toned blue colour to a shade of grey. And there was also a darkness about the young man that had not been there before.

Finding his pulse Voltaire smiled with satisfaction. The operation has been a success and the young man was now alive.

"Gavril, you and your men are to make monitoring him your top priority. Notify me when he has awakened," Voltaire commanded as he returned to his office in his new facility beneath the earth.

As he strolled off the old man grinned wickedly full of glee, _Finally three years after the fall of Biovolt things are starting to come together. Though he so foolishly got himself killed by that weakling Boris, my grandson is now back. With both him and Black Dranzer at my command Biovolt shall rise again! Yes, my plans are all falling into place and soon I shall take my rightful place as the ruler of this world, just as it was meant to be!_

* * *

There is the first chapter of my sequel to Friendship in Russia. I know that some of this may seem confusing so you should either go and reread my other fic or wait for me to explain more in the next chapter. Though I will give you a few points that I feel might need some clearing up. Bree's dream is a modified version of a part I took from chapter 24 of my old fic and as I was confused a bit by this myself I will give you the ages of the characters. Kai was 16 when he died, Bree was 17, Kayla was 13, and Bryan and Tala were 18. To figure out the ages for this fic just add 2 years onto the numbers. I hope that I did an okay job with this chapter though Bree and Tala and what is it that Voltaire could be up to this time? Please bear with me and I will have the next chapter but until then drop me a review and let me know how my insanity has turned out.


	2. Awakened

Alright here's the next chapter. Now I'm not going to bore you until the end of the chapter so I'll just get right into the story.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Awakened**

A young man opened his crimson eyes as he started to stir. He knew that he was lying in a bed and he could hear voices and other sounds all around him. But as he strained to catch a glimpse of his surroundings to gain a sense of where he was, all he could see was blackness.

_Where am I and how did I get here? Have I finally been doomed to hell or is it truly possible that by some miracle I could actually be alive? Argh, why the hell can't I see anything? There's a simple explanation, my eyes just must be closed, _the young man thought and he could finally hear the sounds around him dying down.

Once the noises of the people who had been there faded away he reached a hand up to touch one of his crimson orbs. He was shocked to realize that his eyes were indeed open but he was unable to see anything as his world remained dark.

He quickly pushed down the emotion as he heard the sound of footsteps and the creak of a door. He tried to make himself appear that he was looking in the newcomer's direction as the person spoke in a voice that the young man knew all too well.

"Ah, it is good to see that you have finally awakened my grandson."

He glared in the old man's general direction as he growled, "Voltaire, what the hell do you want this time?"

The young man had managed to pull himself into a sitting position by now and he cried out in pain as he clutched at his chest. He felt the bullet wound that had torn through his body anew as the agony was almost unbearable.

"Easy Kai, you have only just been resurrected so let your body have time to heal," Voltaire advised as he pushed Kai back into the pillows of the bed.

Why he was being given such mercy and treated so well Kai didn't know as he instead wondered, "How long has it been?"

"It has been two years, grandson. As to your previous question, I want you to rejoin us Kai," Voltaire replied.

"You're kidding me, right? I'm never going to rejoin you and if you think that I ever will then you must have gone even more insane while stuck in prison," Kai glared, hoping it would strike home as he decided that he didn't want the bastard to know he couldn't see.

"Now, now, grandson that's not a very nice way to repay us for bringing you back to life."

"Us?"

"Oh yes, where are my manners? Kai this is my assistant and best scientific engineer, Gavril Ivanov," the bastard introduced.

"Ivanov, you're not related to Tala are you?"

"I am actually, Tala is my son," responded the other man who must have been there throughout the conversation.

Kai rolled his dead eyes as he thought, _Great, another one. Why must we all be related to insane bastards? _"Whatever, I'm still not convinced to be stupid enough to help you. It's going to take a lot more than that."

"You don't even know where you are boy and I doubt that Black Dranzer would really want you to leave. He is yours Kai, now take him!"

Voltaire placed the Beyblade in Kai's hand and the young man could feel the power surge through him.

"No, I gave up Black Dranzer a long time ago!"

"_Don't worry little boy, I won't hurt you this time," _Kai heard a chuckle inside his head as he could see the black and red phoenix in his mind's eye.

"You don't have much of a choice, Kai. If it weren't for Black Dranzer you wouldn't be here and now you two need each other," the evil bastard rambled on.

Kai wasn't sure if he liked this situation he was in as he growled, "What the hell are you going on about?"

"I think it would be better if I allowed Gavril here to explain it. After all it was his idea and he would do a far better job of explaining things than I would," Voltaire replied and the man who sounded similar to Tala spoke again.

"I never believed that my theory would have been such a success young Hiwatari but I thought that maybe with a new modified version of this powerful bitbeast that there might be a small chance that we could revive the dead. As Black Dranzer is a phoenix after all. My Lord Voltaire wished to test this theory with you and thankfully Black Dranzer accepted the merge with you. He gave you new life and rekindling your spirit he is now a part of you as you are now a part of him. Through this link you are now connected as one and need each other to survive," the man who was Tala's father explained.

The young man didn't know what to say but upon hearing the phoenix's voice inside his head Kai knew that the words must hold some truth to them.

"Though with our experiment there seem to have been a couple of minor side effects," Voltaire resumed.

"What do you mean by side effects?"

"Black Dranzer pouring his strength into your life force has changed your appearance somewhat. Even though you were dead, you now look like the eighteen year old man you would have been were time allowed to take its course but your hair has now also turned grey as well. Were you to look at yourself in a mirror you would see what I mean. And now boy, you will work for us," Voltaire demanded.

"It's not like I have much of a choice now, do I? As I'm stuck here and have no idea wherever the hell here is," Kai sighed as he glared.

"Exactly, I always liked it about you that you had such sense. I apologize for Boris' stupidity as it was never my intention to have that happen. But now you need to allow yourself to rest. You've only just awakened and your body is most likely still weakened by its previous condition," the bastard said as he and his lackey left the room.

* * *

Kai was left alone with his thoughts, _Did the bastards speak the truth? Is Black Dranzer really a part of me now? _

"_Don't believe them, then how would you like to see a little trick of mine?"_

The phoenix's voice said and then for a moment there was a flash before Kai's eyes. His dark world gave way to the light of a small infirmary like room that he could see through a shroud of dark flames.

Then it vanished and he again heard the phoenix within his head, "_That, Kai is what I see though I can only make it last for a split second. But seeing how we are connected like this now I just might help you by explaining your surroundings for you."_

"_Why can't I see anything?" _Kai needed to know as it was really starting to piss him off.

"_I'm not sure why that happened but I had nothing to do with it and as it seems that we now need each other for survival I will be your eyes._"

"_So you don't want to corrupt me again and turn me against everyone?_"

"_No, that doesn't amuse me anymore as you possess my power now and it seems that you can handle it. Now as crazy as those bastards are they have a point and you should get your rest._"

Kai wanted to protest but as the phoenix spoke to him he realized that he really was quite tired. And he allowed the fatigue to take over his body as he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to take hold of him.

* * *

Kai's strength slowly replenished itself as time wore on. As he adjusted to the hindrance of not being able to see he continued to train as he had chosen to play along until he could catch his bearings and learn his whereabouts.

The young man wasn't sure how much time had passed since he awoke here but he still dressed just like any other day. As he donned his black outfit he was thankful for the scarf that remained securely tied around his neck. He was grateful that his friends had left it with him when they buried his body as it was his soul comfort in this new dark existence.

He left the room that had become his quarters though at the time he had been shocked it was a room and not a cell. And as he walked through the facility to one of the training rooms he was thankful for his good memory. Though Kai was still getting used to the whole blind thing he now knew the place pretty well.

Black Dranzer had helped to direct him at first but soon Kai had memorized the underground building's layout. Now he knew exactly where he was going and so long as he didn't bump into anything he was perfectly fine.

His quiet trek was interrupted as Kai was stopped by a voice.

"Ah Kai, how would you like to train above ground today? Your Grandfather is a little too busy to see you today but he believes that the fresh air will do you some good with your recovery," Gavril's familiar voice wondered as he intercepted the young man.

"Yeah alright, I guess," Kai responded.

Though he had no idea why he would be given such a liberty he followed the older man. He wasn't sure where he was being led but using Black Dranzer's directions the young man followed Gavril anyway.

It wasn't long afterwards that Kai could feel cold air against his skin. But he could feel warmth also as the morning sun beat down on him and there was also the crunching of snow beneath his feet as he walked.

This new outside world was strange and cold to Kai but it wasn't nearly as cold as his home in Russia and he still had no idea where he was.

"_Black Dranzer where are we?"_ Kai wondered to the phoenix in his confusion.

"_It looks to me like some kind of fort that this new base is located under,_" the phoenix replied.

"You are permitted to practice out here but do not wander far Hiwatari or you shall lose this privilege," Gavril stated bringing Kai away from his mental conversation.

Kai walked around the surrounding area until he had found a decent spot to train. It was a ways from the building by a group of trees. He leaned against one of these as he liked having something against his back so he could get a better sense of his bearings. Though it was unsettling having people watching him all the time Kai felt a little more relaxed in this new environment and launched the dark Beyblade.

After a few days of practicing Kai found that his blading skills were improving. He couldn't use the phoenix for sight while it spun in motion so not having his eyes to rely on the stoic blader had to tap into his other senses. With some work at this he found that his blading technique was far better than it used to have been.

Using his ears and his newly formed connection with the bitbeast Kai was able to find the location of his Beyblade's rotation and the strength of its power no matter where it was. Perfecting this new strategy even more he found Black Dranzer's position on the snow covered ground and sent the blade through a series of movements.

As Kai Beybladed his mind began to wander, _I wonder what Bree and everyone else are up to these days. If it really has been two years would they all have forgotten me by now? I still care about Bree but would she still want to be with me or has she moved on? I really miss them. If only I could find a way back home but I'm stuck here in this damn place._

Then Kai could sense the phoenix's fiery spirit next to him as it soared out from its Beyblade. He was becoming used to the dark inhuman voice by now with its constant whispering inside his head.

And he could again hear that voice as the phoenix grinned, "_And who says we have to stay here? Why don't we just leave?"_

"_Oh I don't know, maybe because I'd be literally running blind. I don't even know where I am or where I can go, _Kai thought in reply.

"_Ah but that's where I come in or have you forgotten our little deal already?"_

"_Yeah, yeah, I know, you be my eyes so long as I allow you to have fun in the dish. As soon as I can get back and start up with blading again provided you don't go too crazy I'll be able to oblige you on that. Until then, how about some cover?"_

Kai could hear the crackle of flames shoot out from the Beyblade as it had sparked a raging inferno around the fort. Black Dranzer returned to Kai's outstretched hand and grasping his chance the young man bolted off in escape.

He had made it away from the place with the phoenix's help but his stunt was soon picked up on and Voltaire's men were hot on his trail. With Black Dranzer's directions keeping him from crashing into anything Kai ran and ran. Though the bastards had vehicles and machines to use against him, the young man was faster as he tore through a strange town.

He kept running through the streets with Biovolt on his tail in their pursuit. With Black Dranzer at his side Kai continued to avoid being recaptured. His white scarf was trailing behind him as he pressed onward.

With his strange appearance he couldn't blend into the crowds he began to meet yet he was thankful for the escape as he disappeared within the mob of people. He darted around this new obstacle knowing where they were by the bitbeast's whispering in his head. But Black Dranzer had miscalculated it seemed and the young man made impact with someone.

"Fuck, now they'll be able to catch up to me," Kai swore as he went crashing down to the ground with a hard thud.

* * *

Well what is going to happen to Kai you'll just have to find out. And I know I'm insane but this is the way my brain came up with his revival so I hope you enjoyed. Please don't kill me too much and stay with this fic as I have many good twists planned. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think of my insanity, thanks for reading.


	3. On the Run

This update took me a little longer than I would have liked but here it finally is. In case any of you are wondering I've changed Kai's appearance in this fic to that of 3rd season. Thought that I would clear that up and now on to the chapter that I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

* * *

**Chapter 3: On the Run**

A girl with short black hair and brown eyes had been walking along the streets of a small town when she had collided into someone. Both she and the person had crashed to the ground and looking up she saw that the person had been a young man.

This young man possessed grey hair and as the girl looked over his strange attire she heard him swear, "Fuck, now they'll be able to catch up to me!"

"What are you talking about? Who will catch up to you?" The girl wondered as she reached out a hand to the strange looking guy.

The young man didn't seem to notice as he brushed himself off and replied, "Never mind, I have to go as I really don't have much time."

As he made to leave the girl called out, "Do you even know where you're going?"

"I'll manage I don't need your help."

"Really, well I think I know this town a lot better than you do. I'll take you to my aunt's place, you should be safe there. Just follow me."

She looked into his crimson gaze as the young man stared blankly at her.

As he stared he stated, "Um… I can't really follow you."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter just come on already," she commanded and grasping his wrist the two of them ran off into the heart of the town.

The girl pulled her comrade along through the hidden spots and alleyways of the town. She was doing her best to try and shake off whoever was hunting this guy down. Darting down yet another alleyway the girl stopped to catch her breath.

Breathing a little more heavily she asked, "So you going to give me some answers anytime soon?"

"No, how do I even know I can trust you?"

"You'll just have to take my word for it and believe me when I say that I want to help. I'm Cassie by the way," the girl replied.

"Hn, let's just get going before those bastards decide to catch up."

"Sure, I think it's this way," Cassie said turning a corner.

The young man sent a glare in her direction, "I thought you said that you knew where you were going."

"I do for the most part. At least I can see enough to find my way without bumping into people," she countered.

"I never said that I couldn't. You just got in my way," he growled again, sending another glare toward Cassie's direction.

The banter would have continued on longer as Cassie wasn't convinced but she went quiet as she listened to the noises around her. There were the sounds of vehicles and running footsteps in the distance growing louder.

Then Cassie made out a shout in the wave of sound, "There he is, get him!"

They had emerged from the alley by now and Cassie knew that it was time to get a move on again. She greatly disliked running but continued weaving through the winding streets until they had eventually reached her aunt's place at last.

* * *

It was a nice normal sized house with two stories just like any other average place you could find. There wasn't really anything special about it and Cassie led the young man up to the door.

She rummaged in her pockets for her keys but once she realized that they weren't there the dark haired girl thought, _Damn it, I must have forgotten my keys again. Somebody better let us in._ She pounded on the door as she yelled, "It's Cassie, one of you guys better open up this door and let me in!"

A minute later it was opened by a Chinese boy the same age as the girl. He possessed long raven black hair and bright amber eyes.

"Hey Ray, wasn't expecting you to be here. This is my friend… um… come to think of it I don't think I got your name," Cassie tried to introduce.

As Ray looked past the girl to her companion she saw a look as if he had seen a ghost cross his face.

"Hello Ray, earth to Ray. Are you alive in there, bro?"

At the girl's words the other boy seemed to snap out of it though there was still a look of pure shock in Ray's unbelieving eyes.

"Kai!" Ray called out and pulling the young man into the house he hugged him in a tight friendly embrace.

The young man, Kai, pushed Cassie's brother away as he glared in their direction.

"Get off of me," Kai snapped.

"Oh come on Kai, it's me Ray Kon. Don't tell me you don't recognize me," wondered the Chinese boy, still in his shock.

"No, it's not that. I know who you are and I'm glad that the other idiots aren't here to annoy the hell out of me. It's just…"

Knowing that he wouldn't finish the sentence Cassie did it for him and stated, "He's blind, Ray."

"Seriously Cass, Kai being blind is like my teammate Tyson being stuffed from food, never going to happen," Ray laughed as if they were playing some kind of sick joke.

Kai sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it that's the truth and I can't see."

"You're serious but how could that happen?"

"I'm not sure exactly but they're coming and I have no time to spare," the young man replied moving deeper into the house.

"What's he talking about Cass?"

"Not sure, all I know is that he's on the run from someone," the girl replied.

Cassie's brother stopped Kai, "If my sister and I are going to help you we need a little more information than that. Who are you running from?"

"Voltaire, I escaped his base and they want me back."

"What, he's here in Canada?"

"Yes, Biovolt is making a comeback," he replied in a dark tone.

"What are you guys talking about? What's Biovolt, who's Voltaire?" Cassie asked in confusion.

"Kai's right, we don't have much time before they get here. So I'll explain on the way. We can take my car but we'll have to let Aunt Jen know that we're leaving first," the girl's brother replied taking the job of leading Kai through the house.

They entered the kitchen where they met an older slender woman.

She had short dark hair and wore a bright smile as she greeted, "Hey kids! Who's your friend?"

"This is Kai. I know we were planning to spend the Christmas holidays with the family but we need to get him somewhere safe, away from these bad people who are after him," Ray explained using a serious tone for once.

"Well that's too bad I was looking forward to having the whole family together this year. It's a shame but if you really have to go then you must, as there is no such thing as coincidences and there must be some reason as to why this young man has crossed your path. Though before you go did you get the milk, Cassie?"

"Ooh milk, I knew I was forgetting something," she replied sheepishly.

"Oh well, if anyone comes looking for us now you can say we went out to get the milk sis forgot. We'll see you later Aunt Jen, Merry Christmas," Ray stated as they left the house.

* * *

As they heard the sounds of vehicles skidding to a halt Cassie's brother had thrown an old hoodie over Kai's head to conceal his features. Their escape would have been so much easier if his appearance didn't stick out so much yet they had still managed to sneak out through a side door.

They ran over to the bright silver car that belonged to Ray and climbed in. Cassie got in the back to keep an eye on Kai while her brother took his place at the wheel. He turned the keys in the ignition and the car sped off through the town.

It wasn't long before the vehicle was being chased by Kai's pursuers. Though thankfully getting on the highway Ray was finally able to lose them and with their threat gone the three occupants were now able to converse amongst themselves.

"So seeing how my brother seems to know what's going on, is one of you going to give me some kind of explanation?" Cassie wondered in frustration as the silver car steadily drove along the highway.

"Fine, Ray can explain things to you but first I'd like to know where the hell we're going," Kai replied as he leaned back against his seat.

"We're going to our home in St. Catharines. Though I'd like some answers myself, we can talk later as for now I'll try to clarify things for my sister. It's a long drive home and it'd probably be best if you got some rest," Ray replied as Kai crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

It seemed like the other boy noticed Kai's position in the mirror that looked over the back seat as he shook his head and commented, "Same old Kai."

"Yeah bro, first question how do you two know each other?"

"We were teammates on that Beyblade team I told you about. You know, the Bladebreakers that I was a part of a few years back?"

"You mean that sport you used to play with those bitbeast things? I didn't know he was a part of it too but I'd love to see Driger again," Cassie responded.

"Sure I'll show him to you when we get home, can't really pass you my blade when I'm driving. And yes Kai Beyblades too, he was our captain actually," Ray stated.

"But I thought you said that your captain died a couple of years ago."

"He did, while he was living in Russia or that's what I heard."

"If he's dead then how-"

"I don't know. It's one of the things I want to talk to him about once we're safe at home."

"Well that explains why you looked like you saw a ghost when I brought him back with me. What happened to your team after he left?"

"It was never really the same after Kai left us so we split up and I think that we're a little old now to get back into the sport. The rest of the team might not be but Kai and I are at least," Ray explained.

"Okay that's understandable but I thought you were going to spend the holidays with your old team and reminisce about old times?"

"Well we'd planned on it but then we decided that Christmas should be spent with one's family so I caught a flight here to Canada."

"I see, well now you can have fun cooking a turkey dinner for us Mr. Oh So Amazing Chef," Cassie smirked as she sarcastically teased her brother.

"Hey I learned from the best and I always look forward to a culinary challenge. It's not like it can be any harder than cooking a meal for that pig Tyson. But I suppose that now you would like to know about Kai."

"Damn straight."

"Alright, though he never really told us much about himself I'll tell you what I know," said Ray and he explained the mess that had taken place at the Beyblade World Championships in Russia.

The young man who sat next to Cassie slept through the conversation and most of the drive as well. As he slept pretty peacefully the hood of the sweater he wore fell down to reveal his face. Cassie looked over at the young man and noticed the four blue triangles that marked his cheeks.

She reached out to gently touch one of them and wondered, "Ray how did he get these markings on his cheeks?"

"I don't know, he never mentioned it," Ray replied, slowing down the speed of the car as they neared the city of St. Catharines.

The strange young man began to stir as he mumbled, "Bree?"

"No, it's just Cassie. Who's Bree?"

"None of your business," Kai snarled appearing angered by the girl's gesture.

As his crimson eyes snapped open Kai slapped Cassie's hand away, looking greatly offended by her touch.

Before Cassie could be yelled at more her brother parked his car in front of an eight story apartment complex.

"Well here we are, home sweet home," Ray grinned as they entered the building.

* * *

It was a decent place on the seventh floor where Cassie lived with her twin brother. The rent wasn't too bad and it had everything needed for living on your own. Besides the essentials there was also a balcony and two bedrooms so each Kon could have their own space and privacy. Ray had offered to allow Kai to share his room as they were both guys and his was the bigger of the two rooms.

Cassie figured that she would let her brother and his old teammate catch up. So she curled up on one of their couches with another one of her many books.

"Hey sis, don't get your nose too into another book yet. I thought you wanted me to show you Driger," Ray piped up from across the living room.

"Oh yeah," she replied as he pulled out the grey object from his pocket.

It was the grey Beyblade that housed the mighty tiger, Driger that Cassie's brother had told her about. But in its centre where a picture of the white tiger should have been was a glowing green light.

She looked curiously at her brother's Beyblade and wondered, "Is it supposed to do that?"

"No, not usually. What's wrong, Driger?" The raven haired boy was silent for a moment but then Cassie's brother spoke again, this time in a growl, "Apparently our friend Kai here has a very evil and powerful bitbeast with him called Black Dranzer. At least that's what Driger says and he doesn't like it."

Though they knew that the young man couldn't see it the younger boy glared at Kai anyway.

"It's not what you think. He's not going to hurt me and there's no way that I'll let him use his power to hurt anyone else either. If it were up to me I wouldn't have the Beyblade in the first place but it's because of Black Dranzer that I'm alive."

"Yeah Kai, how is that even possible?" Ray wondered seeming unsure what to make of this new development.

The Kons listened as Kai explained information that Voltaire had given him about his revival and connection with this dark bitbeast.

"Speaking of that bastard where is he hiding this time?"

"Some fort in that town where you guys found me, Ray," Kai replied with a shrug.

Cassie's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Ha, I knew it! I was right and there really is a terrorist group hiding under Fort Erie!"

"I guess, if you want to call Biovolt that. Though it's more bastards plotting to take over the world than a terrorist group but whatever. Now if you excuse me I'd rather have some time alone," the young man replied as he left the siblings for the quiet solitude of the balcony.

* * *

Ray was worried for his old captain. So leaving his sister he stepped out into the fresh air after Kai. He found the crimson eyed young man leaning against the rail, appearing to be lost in thought.

"Like the fresh air, eh Kai?"

"I'd like it better if you weren't disturbing me," Kai glared.

"Sorry man but you looked like you needed the company," Ray replied and observing the look of longing in those crimson depths he wondered, "You miss your friends back in Russia don't you?"

"What do you think? Of course I miss my friends and sister but it's not like I can go to see them. Everyone thinks I'm dead, I have no money and no way of getting back there."

"Well to get money you need a job and to get a good job you need an education," Ray stated.

"Yeah sure, like I can go back to school. I doubt that any school is really going to admit a blind eighteen year old who should be graduated by now," Kai scoffed in retort.

"My sister's school would, it's for the blind. You could always go there with her after the holidays," the raven haired boy suggested.

"We'll see."

"Just think about it, alright?"

"Fine, whatever. Can I have some time to myself now?"

"Alright I've got to go and get supplies for cooking the Christmas feast anyway. So I'll leave you and my sister to get acquainted," Ray grinned.

Leaving Kai alone on the balcony in the cool night air, Ray exited the apartment building to do his last bit of shopping before Christmas Eve.

* * *

I hope that you liked this chapter. I was skeptical about it myself at first but I feel that it gives good insight into the characters. Anyway I've got an essay due next week so it may take me a while to update so in the meantime please drop me a review and let me know what you think about the chapter.


	4. It's Christmas

Hey everybody I've finally written another chapter. Okay now I know that it's a little early for Christmas as we just had Halloween but oh well the story made me do it. I hope you like this nice little chapter as I get more into establishing the plot. And I don't own the songs in here they are Christmas carols that don't belong to me. Anyways enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 4: It's Christmas**

Time passed steadily in Russia since the anniversary of Kai's death. It was now Christmas Eve and Bree's mood had greatly improved. The woman still dearly missed her old lover but despite the grief, she was determined to keep her spirits up for her son and niece.

It was Christmas after all and the Holidays were a time of joy to spend with one's family. The kids were happily playing outside in the snow and Bree smiled as she watched their childish antics. As she looked on at them through the living room window she felt a warm arm wrap around her from behind.

She looked up to meet her husband's ice blue eyes. "Well you seem to be in a better mood," Tala smiled down at her.

"Yeah, how can I be gloomy at such a happy time of year?"

"Good, this is supposed to be a happy time anyway."

"I know and I want this to be a special, magical time for the children like it's supposed to be," she replied.

"Glad to hear it," the man commented as he leaned in and placed a kiss on Bree's lips.

The woman deepened the kiss and the two were lost in the moment until the kids bounded back into the house.

"Mommy is Santa really going to come tonight?" The little boy wondered hopefully.

"Yes Kai but only if you go to sleep like a good little boy," Bree replied.

"But we're not sleepy yet," Kai groaned.

"Ya auntie shouldn't we leave treats for Santie Claws?"

"It's Santa Claus Bridget," Kai smugly corrected his cousin.

"Oh, well shouldn't we?"

"Yes good idea and that my dear is what milk and cookies are for," Bryan grinned as he entered the living room with his arm around Kayla.

"Can we do that for Santie, Daddy?"

"Of course you can sweetie but then it's off to bed," Kayla answered her daughter's question.

So with the kids helping out they had gotten the table ready for Santa's arrival. They were reluctant to go to bed but after a while the little tykes had passed out. The girls tucked in their children who slept with happy smiles, most likely dreaming of what the morning would bring.

Upon descending back down the stairs Bree wondered, "So which one of you is going to play Santa and hide the presents?"

"I guess I'll do it. I don't feel like arguing over it again this year," Tala volunteered, "Just make sure you wait up for me in bed."

"Sure, Kayla and I have already wrapped them so putting them under the tree shouldn't take you too long," Bree grinned as she went upstairs with her brother and best friend.

Bree was right and it wasn't long before Tala was able to join her in bed. The two fell asleep quickly that night so they could get as much sleep as possible before another bright and happy Christmas morning. And as the quaint household fell into silence, festive music played to help keep the children peacefully dreaming.

**You better watch out**

**You better not cry**

**Better not pout**

**I'm telling you why**

**Santa Claus is coming to town**

**He's making a list,**

**And checking it twice;**

**Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.**

**Santa Claus is coming to town**

**He sees you when you're sleeping**

**He knows when you're awake**

**He knows if you've been bad or good**

**So be good for goodness sake!**

**O! You better watch out!**

**You better not cry.**

**Better not pout, I'm telling you why.**

**Santa Claus is coming to town.**

**Santa Claus is coming to town.**

"IT'S CHRISTMAS, IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Bryan could hear the kids shouting at the edge of his sleep as he awoke.

He opened one of his eyes to find the two bouncing up and down on top of his bed.

"Get off of me! Do you even know what time it is?"

"But Uncle Bryan, we want presents," the redheaded boy whined as he jumped up impatiently.

"Fine, I'm up. Now why don't you go wake your own parents, Kai," Bryan suggested as he pried himself from the comfort of the blankets.

He knew that Kayla was tired but so was he so Bryan decided that if he had to suffer she did too. When he had finally woken up the one he loved the two of them went downstairs for the festivities of the holiday season. Once in the living room they sat on a couch and a few minutes later a sleepy Tala and Bree shuffled down to join them, still half asleep.

Bryan's sister and brother in law settled down on the couch opposite him and his girlfriend as the kids energetically bounded down after them. Looking around at the room's occupants Bryan spied the pleading look in his daughter's eyes.

As she glanced up at him with that cute little puppy dog look Bridget wondered, "Daddy, can we open presents now?"

"Yeah sure, go ahead. Though I think that Tala should dress up and play Santa again," Bryan replied with a sly grin.

"No way I had to do it last year," Tala groaned in his defense.

"Tala's right, you should do it this year, Bry," the blue haired girl at his side agreed.

"Fine then just go against me too Kayla. My own girlfriend even wants to see me humiliated. Nobody loves me anymore, it's all a conspiracy against me," the man whined as he left the room to find the Santa suit.

He returned a moment later wearing the red and white hat and coat and approached the large Christmas tree.

"YAY PRESENTS!" The kids cheered as the purple haired Santa Claus sorted through the colourfully wrapped boxes to give to the children.

"Oh come on bro, it's not so bad. Have fun with it," Bree commented as she stifled a giggle.

"Maybe to you, you're not the one who has to do this," Bryan glared at his sister.

"Yep and it's hilarious watching you do it," the younger girl laughed.

"Oh just stuff it, sis."

"Come on Bree let's leave the guys and kids alone and go work on the feast," Kayla suggested as she walked off to the kitchen.

Bree followed the other girl leaving the two men alone with the kids. Bryan wanted to curse the girls but seeing his daughter and nephew's joy all his evil intent evaporated. Instead the man beamed down at them as the kids played with their presents.

They were having fun, playing merrily with the new toys and as they waited for dinner to be ready Bryan struck up a conversation with his best friend.

To pass the time Bryan commented, "Well Bree seems to be in a better mood."

"Yeah, she seems to be really into the whole Christmas spirit thing," Tala replied.

"Good, I hate seeing her all depressed like that. We all miss Kai too but she's going to have to get over it at some point."

"Yeah I know. I wish she would get over him too but I guess she's just dealing with it in her own way," Tala said looking down sadly.

Bryan placed a reassuring hand on his best friend's shoulder, "Don't worry, man. She'll come around in time, you'll see."

"I hope you're right."

Before Bryan could utter another comforting word to the redhead Kayla called them in for dinner.

It was a nice little family moment and a great meal. Despite Bryan's earlier humiliation it had been a joyous occasion. Everyone enjoyed themselves during this happy time of celebration.

Even though the death of their friend loomed over the family his memory would remain with the four of them but for now they would rejoice on the day marked for Jesus' birth. And Bryan for one would share the remainder of this wonderful holiday with his family.

_I hope that Tala and Bree can sort everything out. I know that sis really misses Kai and still cares about him but for Tala's sake she should just get over him and move on already. Even Kayla seems to be doing alright after the whole tragedy of it and he was her brother. So if she can get over it then Bree should be able to get over his death too, _Bryan contemplated as he joined his family in gorging on the delicious feast.

* * *

Across the world in Canada Kai was dealing with Christmas in his own way. Besides the Holidays spent with his parents the only good Christmases he'd had were the ones spent with his friends and sister.

_Stupid Christmas, how am I supposed to celebrate it when my friends are all half way around the world? And now I'm stuck here with Ray and his sister. Oh, why couldn't I be stuck with people who don't celebrate Christmas?"_

Kai sulked in the room that he was sharing with Ray while his old teammate was busy cooking the feast. As he waited it appeared that Cassie had decided to disturb him again like she had the other night.

Sensing her presence he glared in her direction and growled, "What the hell do you want now?"

"To tell you to lighten up," the girl replied too cheery for Kai's liking.

"Whatever, I told you the other night that I wasn't in the mood for this and I'm still not. So leave me the hell alone."

"Look Kai I know that you just lost your sight and it's hard for you. I get that but this is supposed to be a happy time. Can't you just give it a chance and try to have maybe a little holiday spirit?"

"Nope, I don't really have the best of luck around Christmas."

"But Christmas is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the son of God," Cassie countered.

"And I don't see much of a point in celebrating something I don't believe."

"How can you not believe in God? He's allowed you to come back and given you a second chance."

"No that was my damn grandfather's doing because he just wanted to use me again like he always does. And why the hell would I believe in a God who allows so many bad things to happen and who would make me related to such an evil psychopathic bastard? I'm not going to enjoy being stuck here with you today so you should just give up already," Kai snapped in bitterness.

Cassie snapped back, "Well maybe I will! We have been trying, you know? I believe that everyone deserves to be given a chance but if you want to be a grouch then that's fine with me, Mr. Scrooge!"

"Good, Ba Humbug to this damn holiday anyway," the young man replied.

Before the two of them could bicker anymore Kai could hear Ray's voice calling to them from the other room.

"Dinner's ready you guys! Come and get it!"

So Kai walked off after the annoying girl, following the walls down the hallway to the circular dining table. Though the food smelt better than anything he had ever eaten Kai's stomach was back to the old abbey routine and he wasn't really hungry. He didn't plan on eating anything as his small stomach wouldn't handle it but he had reluctantly come to the table to humour Ray anyway.

"Well I hope you guys like the food, dig in," Ray said with a cheery tone of voice.

Kai sat down at the table and with the sound of a creaking chair he knew that Ray's annoying sister had sat down as well. Refusing to eat, the crimson eyed man merely poked at his food.

"Come on man just try it. It won't bite," Ray encouraged at an attempt to get him to eat.

"I'm not hungry," Kai curtly replied.

"So, you should eat something."

"Yeah my brother's right for once. At least have three bites," Cassie added as Kai's crimson gaze bore into her direction.

"Let me guess, you're not going to shut up until I do?"

"Damn straight," the girl responded.

So very reluctantly Kai took a forkful of meat and quickly swallowed it.

Eating a little more of it Kai decided, _Well I guess this stuff doesn't taste so bad but there's no way I'm going to let these two figure that out. _"There are you happy now?" he grunted pushing away the plate.

"For now but I think that this place should be a little more festive," the raven haired boy replied and even though he couldn't see it Kai knew that Ray was grinning.

Suspiciously he wondered, "Ray, what are you doing?"

Kai was never answered, instead Ray just flicked a switch and the torturous melody of Christmas music wafted to Kai's ears.

**I'll have a blue Christmas without you;**

**I'll be so blue thinking about you.**

**Decorations of red**

**on a green Christmas tree**

**Won't mean a thing if**

**If you're not here with me**

**And when those blue snowflakes start falling  
**

**Thats when those blue memories start calling**

**You'll be doin all right, with your christmas of white**

**But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas**

**I'll have a blue Christmas, that's certain;**

**And when that blue heartache starts hurting,**

**You'll be doing all right**

**with your Christmas of white,**

**But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.**

"Ray, turn that damn thing off," Kai glared enraged as the song had made him think of Bree.

"Oh come on the radio has such good Christmas songs," his old teammate argued.

"Whatever, I'm going back to the bedroom."

* * *

Not wanting to hear anymore he stormed off and sat on the bed that had been set up for him. Though not long afterwards he heard footsteps as it seemed that one of the twins had followed him.

"Leave me alone," Kai growled out to whoever it was.

"Kai I know you're not the most cheerful person but we're trying to make you feel welcome here. You could at least show us a little bit of appreciation," it was Ray who spoke and Kai felt the bed beneath him shift as the boy sat next to him.

Edging his way to the other side of the bed the grey haired man replied, "I can't just pretend that everything is alright. Nobody thinks that you're dead so you can't know what this feels like."

"You're right and I'm sorry that you've had to suffer. But life won't be all bad forever, maybe your Christmas present will help to make you feel better."

As Ray spoke he placed a small package in Kai's lap.

Shocked by the gesture Kai wondered, "When did you have the time to get me a present?"

"When I went to get groceries the other day I stopped by Wal-Mart. So are you going to open it?"

Instead of giving Ray a reply Kai merely tore off the paper.

Turning a small object around in his hands Kai wondered, "What is it?"

"It's an MP3 Player that we loaded with all of Simple Plan's songs for you seeing how it seemed that you liked the band on our Beyblading travels. It also came with a pair of headphones and if you want Cass can show you how to use it later," the raven haired boy explained.

"Well… thanks… I guess but I think I can figure this thing out myself. Now if you don't mind I would really prefer some time alone."

"Yeah, sure thing man. And Kai, Merry Christmas," Ray stated in z jolly voice.

"Hn," Kai replied as his companion left the room, closing the door behind him.

"_Well isn't that sweet, your friends got you a present,_" Black Dranzer chuckled in the young man's head.

"_I don't know if I'd exactly call them my friends. Ray maybe, as he was the only real decent and sane person on our Beyblading team. But his sister, I don't quite trust her yet. In fact I'm not really sure what I think of her, I don't know all that much about her at this point,_" Kai thought back.

"_Well being here beats putting up with your grandfather, doesn't it?_"

"_Yeah, you're right. Though I'm surprised that you waited until just now to speak up._"

"_I was enjoying your reaction,_" the phoenix replied.

"_Whatever, I might as well try to figure this thing out,_" Kai thought to himself as he put the headphones into his ears.

After a while of playing around with the MP3 Player, Kai had the thing working. And lying down Kai eventually drifted off to sleep to the band who's music so seemed to reflect his life.

* * *

Well there you have it and I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. I know it may have been a tad bit religious and I'm sorry if I offended anyone with anything but Kai not believing in God just seemed to fit with his personality. As I said before I know it's too early for Christmas so there's no need to comment on it. My friends kept bugging me for a chapter so I figured why not spread the holiday cheer early this year. So please don't forget to drop me a review to tell me what you think of this festive chapter.


	5. School

I'm finally back with the next chapter of this fic. Sorry it took me so long I kept getting stuck as this is another filler chapter. Parts of it may be a little boring but the next chapter will be better with some nice humour in it. One last thing, I'll mention now that everything in here pertaining to stuff in real life is messed around with to suit the purpose of my fic so if you don't like it that's too bad. Well I won't bore you any longer so I hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 5:** **School**

After Christmas the holidays had sped by and were now drawing to a close. For whatever insane reason, Kai had agreed to go to this blind school of theirs. Deciding that if it could get him one step closer to the friends who were so much like a family to him, he would bear it.

Now the blind crimson eyed young man relaxed in the living room, waiting for the time before his departure to pass. Drinking a glass of water Kai was deep in thought.

_Well I guess this place isn't so bad though I'd rather be back home. I hate the idea of having to go to a stupid boring school too but if that's the price I have to pay to be with my friends again, then so be it._

"_Ah, you're referring to those friends from the abbey? Now those were the days…_" Black Dranzer reminisced.

"_Oh yeah, when I was a weak little kid who got one of my best friends killed. Yes, those were such good times,_" Kai retorted sarcastically.

"_What? You were such a cute, sweet little boy and an aspiring young Beyblader back then._"

"_Would you shut up? I'd rather not think of the mistakes I made in my childhood."_

"_Fine then, aren't you touchy._"

Kai merely ignored the muttering in his head as he heard Cassie enter the living room. He knew it was Cassie because Ray had left earlier to go to work. This meant that Kai and the girl were left alone, again.

"Hey, you're packed already?" The girl wondered as Kai heard her plop down on the other couch.

Kai raised an eyebrow in question, "Packed?"

"Ray did mention that my school is residential and we stay there for the week only coming home on weekends, right?"

"Yeah but I didn't see a point as I don't really have anything with me."

Cassie sounded a little flustered, "You should at least pack something. You need stuff like clothes and things. It can get really boring there, trust me."

Kai merely shrugged as he took another sip from his glass of water.

He wasn't really paying attention but Cassie continued anyway, "You should have some of your stuff with you to pack even if you are new to Canada."

"Nope, as you should recall I was running from my insane evil grandfather's new hideout. Besides all of my stuff is at my home half way around the world in Russia, including my suitcase," Kai replied as he finished off his drink.

"Then we need to go and get you some supplies for school. We have some time before the bus arrives, we can make it to Wal-Mart and back before then. So come on let's go," Cassie stated.

"You're not serious? What the hell makes you think that I'm actually going to go with you?"

"Because I'm not giving you a choice," she replied and Kai felt her grab his arm.

"No, I'm not going! I don't even know where we're going. I'm still not used to being blind," Kai glared as he growled in protest.

"I'll just have to help you out then. Now come on we're going shopping."

"_You shopping, this should be interesting,_" the phoenix cackled with glee inside the young man's head.

"Oh shut up," Kai snapped out loud accidentally.

"What? I didn't say anything," Cassie said confused as she began dragging Kai from the room.

"Never mind, it's nothing," the crimson eyed young man replied and thought, "_Just some stupid bird brain that needs to mind his own business._"

"_Hey I resent that. I just find the whole thing amusing,_" Black Dranzer inwardly grinned.

While Kai was arguing with the bitbeast Cassie had managed to drag him out the door and they were off to do his school shopping.

* * *

Cassie had managed to drag her stubborn companion out of the apartment complex and around the corner to where a bunch of different stores were located. She had offered to guide the young man but he had refused saying that he could manage just fine on his own. So instead she pointed out the different stores as they walked down the length of the strip mall.

"There's a grocery store, a furniture store, a dollar store where you can get different things for low prices. Oh and there's the North China Buffet where Ray works as a chef. We'll have to pay him a visit when we're finished at Wal-Mart," she stated as they walked by it.

"Whatever, can we just get this over with?"

_Okay just because he's being difficult, it doesn't mean I have to lose my cool, _Cassie thought as they entered into Wal-Mart.

Turning around to look at the grey haired young man Cassie saw him shudder.

So she asked, "What are you scared or something?"

"No, I just hate being around too many people and it seems like there's a lot in here."

"Well this is a big and busy place and lots of people shop here," she replied.

"So why don't you just do the shopping for me?"

"Because I don't know what size clothes or shoes you wear or if there's anything else that you want to bring with you. Now just let me guide you already and let's go."

"Whatever," he retorted and reluctantly grabbed hold of the girl's arm as she guided him around the store.

Cassie had found Kai some new clothes, and gym shoes for school. As well as a couple of binders so he could keep all the work he would get organized. She also picked out a nice roomy knapsack for Kai to put his text books in and a black suitcase he could store everything in for their travel to the place a couple cities away.

The two of them then went up and down the aisles to pick up anything they'd missed, needed for a residential school. Once they had everything the girl went to pay for the stuff and they left the store to go pay Ray a visit.

Cassie entered the Chinese restaurant with Kai in tow and they waited to be seated.

Soon after a waitress greeted, "Hello Cass, Ray's in the back. I'll let him know you're here while you and your friend help yourselves to the buffet."

As the waitress left they sat down and Cassie asked, "So are you going to eat anything today?"

"Hn, you go ahead I'll just wait here."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged as she went over to the buffet tables.

She had chosen an assortment of food and had even put some on a separate plate for the young man before returning to her companion.

"Hey Kai, if you do get hungry I brought you back something to eat. It's a very small amount so you should be able to stomach it without much complaint," Cassie offered as she placed the small plate of food in front of the stoic young man.

"Whatever," he replied sitting there with his eyes closed as the girl began to eat what would probably end up being her dinner.

A while later the two of them heard a chuckle, "I just had to see it to believe it. You actually got him out of the apartment, now that's an accomplishment, sis."

Cassie turned around and met her brother's grin with one of her own, "Oh hi Ray, I guess I just have that affect on people."

"Yeah I am a little curious on exactly how you got him out of the apartment"

"She dragged me here against my will," Kai grumbled begrudgingly.

"Ah, so that explains it. Shouldn't you guys be heading back to catch the bus?"

"You're right, it'll be there soon to pick us up. We'll see you next week then and thanks for the great meal, bro."

"It's what I do, see you guys later and have fun at school Kai," he replied with another grin as the two of them left the restaurant.

* * *

When they had returned Kai had quickly packed the stuff and soon after the bus for school had arrived. As he sat down next to the girl he'd been staying with she tried to introduce him to some of her friends who were with them on the bus. But Kai didn't care and was being his usual quiet, lone wolf self.

The ride immediately became annoying because of some really loud kids and Kai was secretly thankful for the MP3 Player he had been given. Putting it on he listened to the music while absentmindedly turning his dark Beyblade around in his hands.

It was a very boring and tedious trip and he talked to Black Dranzer now and then in his head to take his mind off of it. If it weren't for the phoenix and the music then Kai probably would have ended up losing control of his infamous temper.

Eventually they arrived at last and though he didn't need her help or charity Cassie led him across the campus to where she said the building the older kids lived in was located.

"_Black Dranzer where are we going," _Kai thought in confusion.

"_Right now we're passing this big long building on your right that is probably the main school. And there's another building off to your left that could be a dormitory of some sort. Now we're at this front entrance like thing that has a circular driveway. Inside the circle is an expanse of grass with a small fountain in the centre," _the dark phoenix explained for his master.

It seemed that the bitbeast would make another comment but Ray's sister interrupted the conversation.

"So do you want to go around the parking lot or cross it and walk through the grass?"

"Going across is fine with me," Kai said curtly and he stepped down onto the road.

"How'd you know that step was there? I thought you can't see anything?"

"I can't, I just know where things are sometimes. Let's go already," the young man replied walking on with Black Dranzer's eyes as his guide.

After a couple of minutes of walking around the school grounds, the two of them finally made it to what Cassie called the Senior Residence. They went inside and Kai was led to an office type room near the entrance of the building.

"Hey Mr. Ferris I'm taking the bus home this weekend," Cassie greeted someone.

"Okay thanks Cass," the voice of an older sounding guy replied, "I see that you've brought a friend to school with you."

"Yeah, this is Kai and he needs a room to stay in," she introduced as the guy tried to shake Kai's hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mr. Ferris one of the people in charge of this residence. I hope that you'll have a good time here as we try to make everyone's stay a fun experience. We weren't expecting you so you'll have to see the principal tomorrow about attending classes. As for your room if you give me one moment I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, I have to go and unpack now Kai, but I'll come and get you in the morning to show you around the main school building. Until then good luck getting settled in," the girl said as Kai heard her leave.

"Hn," he remarked and he was finally rid of his old teammate's twin sister.

Kai decided that this guy he was left with seemed to be annoyingly good natured. As the Beyblader heard Mr. Ferris rifling through some papers he began to ask questions in a tone far too cheery for Kai's liking.

"So how much sight do you have?"

"None of your business," snapped Kai, "Now can we just get to my room already?"

"Alright I know starting at a new school can be hard so I won't push you."

Kai was shocked by his response and wondered to himself, _How can this guy be so accepting and understanding? I don't get it._

As the grey haired young man was lost in thought his arm had been grabbed. He was about to fight it off when he realized it was only Mr. Ferris and changed his mind. They walked out into the main hallway and Kai allowed the man to show him to his room.

* * *

Mr. Ferris opened a door and Kai used the phoenix's eyes to map out his surroundings. The room was small with two beds, a group of closets against the wall with the door, a desk made for two people to use, and a window opposite the door. Kai only had a split second to look around and as he quickly did so he noticed a lanky African American boy sitting on the bed closest to the window.

"Brandon King, this is your new roommate. He seems to be a little uncomfortable being here so I hope that you'll make him feel welcome and that you boys will get along," Ferris introduced and then left them to get acquainted.

_Great I have to share a room with someone, again. This guy reminds me of Eddy from the All Starz, _Kai thought as he kicked his suitcase under the bed that was now his.

"Shouldn't you be unpacking?"

"No, it's a waste of time," Kai replied sitting on the bed and striking his usual pose of arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Okay then if you say so, Nice to meet you, I'm Brandon King though most people just call me King and I love to play basketball. You have any sports or hobbies you're into? What's your name, roomie?" Kai's new roommate rattled on enthusiastically.

"It's Kai and there may be a sport I like but you probably don't know what it is so I don't feel like discussing it. And I'd prefer to be left alone," Kai replied.

"Kai... Kai… now why does that name sound familiar? Oh yeah, Kai Hiwatari from the world famous team of that Beyblade sport. But you can't be that Kai, he's dead."

"Yep, that's right. I'm nobody famous or special so just leave me alone," Kai demanded as he inwardly cursed, _Shit, someone in this damn stupid school actually knows what Beyblading is. I'll have to watch myself or I'll have to deal with fame all over again and everyone will be bugging the hell out of me._

"Suit yourself. I'll just go outside and see how everybody else is doing then, maybe shoot some hoops too while I'm at it," King replied and left as the crimson eyed young man heard the door close behind him.

_Yep definitely reminds me of Eddy though he has way too much energy like Max or Tyson. At least he's finally gone now, _Kai sighed with relief, glad to finally be left alone.

"_So now that all the annoying people are gone can we get to some practice?_" Black Dranzer wondered hopefully in Kai's head.

He sounded like an excited little kid and bursting his bubble Kai replied, "_No you'll probably end up trying to destroy the building or something. So you're going to have to wait until we're outside in someplace nice and quiet._"

He then went back to his thoughts as he ignored the dark phoenix's disappointed protests.

_Tala, Bryan, Sis, Bree, I hope that I don't have to be stuck here too long and that I can come home to be with you all soon, _Kai thought and with nothing better to do he steadily drifted off into sleep.

* * *

There you guys go another chapter finally done. I hope that it will keep you happy for a while as I'm doing a lot of work with my fic right now. Though surprisingly I've been updating a lot of chapters so if you're lucky then maybe I'll update the next chapter of this soon. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and don't forget to let me know what you think of this chapter.


	6. First Day

Hey everyone, I'm finally back with another chapter. My other story has become my priority lately so this took me a while to write. Hopefully this nice long chapter will keep you content for a while and I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of the story.

* * *

**Chapter 6: First Day**

Kai had slept poorly as his dreams were plagued by the past the way that they usually were each night. Of course being pestered by everyone at the school didn't help with the grey haired young man's already grumpy mood. If that weren't enough they also weren't allowed to leave the residence building until about an hour and a half after the morning wake up call.

Kai had been up long before that time and the wait he had seemed like it took forever. Though finally the time to head over to the main building came and Cassie met up with him at the entrance just as she had promised.

"So you ready for your first day?" The girl asked in a chipper tone.

Kai shrugged as he wondered, _I don't know what she's so happy about. How the hell can anyone be so positive all the time?_

"_Maybe she's just one of those people who enjoys life,_" that little voice in Kai's head coolly stated.

"_I didn't ask for your opinion. And that's impossible as life sucks and nothing good ever comes out of it,_" the young man replied.

"_Oh well, in that case it will just remain a mystery,_" the phoenix inwardly shrugged as Kai's companion grabbed his hand and pulled him out the residence's door.

As he felt the brisk morning air he glared at her. It didn't seem to faze her as Ray's sister continued to guide the crimson eyed young man along. It was a short, straight walk that only lasted a couple minutes before the two of them had entered the other building. Once inside Cassie talked the young man through his surroundings.

"Now that we're inside you can see what the school is like but it will probably be a while before you get the hang of its layout. This is one of the hallways behind the gym and at the end of it is where the guys change room is. Though we're going to go in the other direction towards the main intersection. Now I know that you don't want my help so you can just follow this black rail on the side of the wall," the girl explained as she placed Kai's hand on the rail she had mentioned.

Kai trailed the wall without any difficulty until he came to a place where it curved around a corner. Unsure of which way to turn the young man stopped to see which way his old teammate's sister decided to turn.

"We're going to turn to the left. The music wing is down the other way but I can take you down there another time-" she began to say but was cut off by a voice.

"Hey Cass, who's your friend?"

It sounded to the blader like a girl and with Black Dranzer's eyes he learned that there were two of them. The one who he'd guessed was the speaker was taller than her companion with straight blonde hair and glasses. The other girl was extremely short with curly dark hair and she also had a hand on the wall.

"Hey Kathleen, Amanda, this is Kai! He's been staying with Ray and me for a while."

"Oh yeah, Kathleen mentioned something like that last night after she met him on the bus," Amanda commented in a smaller sounding voice than the blonde, "So are you coming to class?"

"Yeah of course, I just have to show Kai to Neale's office so he knows where to go for his classes," Cassie replied to her friends.

As they chatted Kai had crossed the hall to lean against the opposite wall. After the girls had a bit of a conversation it seemed like Cassie was finally ready to continue on to their destination.

It wasn't much farther and they only had to make one more turn before reaching what Cassie said was the entrance to the administration area. Once in this section of the school they approached the principal's office and the girl knocked on the door.

As the door was answered Cassie stammered, "Uh… Mr. Neale… This is Kai, he wants to take classes here for a while."

Waiting for the principal to respond Kai stood there and thought, _Well this is new, she actually sounds nervous._

"_Maybe she's just one of those kids who hates going to the office. So this is your new Principal, huh?_"

"_I guess, what does he look like?_"

"_Like an old guy with white hair. Though he doesn't look as old as your grandfather of course, he still seems pretty old._"

The young man was brought out of the conversation as the principal addressed him.

"Kai is it, do you have any transcripts or anything like that we can input into the school database?"

"I might in Japan," Kai replied with a shrug.

"Then I would ask to receive some personal information from you to pass along to my secretary. Such as your full name, age, eye sight, family, place of residence…"

"Kai Hiwatari, I'm eighteen, I can't really see anything and I'm living with her so she can give you that information," he replied curtly blatantly ignoring the question about his family.

"Thank you, now as I'm unsure of your current level of education for the time being you shall follow Miss Kon around to her Grade Eleven classes while you learn your way around. Good luck with your studies and welcome to W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind, Mr. Hiwatari."

* * *

The young man had found the little meeting with Mr. Neale to be extremely boring and when it was finally over with Cassie had directed him to their first class. It was located on the second floor that basically seemed to have a similar layout to the first.

Arriving at the classroom the teacher wasn't too thrilled that they were late. Though once Cassie had explained they were seeing Mr. Neale his attitude changed to an understanding tone.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Bonnici and this is home room Math. From what Cassie here says you read Braille so give me a moment to grab you a text book…"

As he was rummaging around Kai asked confused, "What the hell is Braille?"

"It's a series of raised bumps that make up words and numbers for the blind to read," Amanda answered who seemed to have the Math class also.

"You'll have to learn it later then, for now you can use Jaws off the computer as we've wasted enough time," Bonnici stated beginning to instruct the class.

Kai was utterly confused now and he sat next to the short dark haired girl. He hoped she would be able to clear up what the man had said as she knew what that Braille thing was.

"What is he talking about?"

Amanda wondered, "Do you mean the lesson or Jaws?"

"Both I guess," he said rolling his crimson orbs.

"You don't know what Jaws is either? You haven't been blind for very long have you?"

Kai shook his head but after a minute of silence he guessed she couldn't see it and replied with a curt, "No."

"Alright then, I'll hang onto my notes and we can go over them in our study time after school with Jaws. It's a computer program that will read things out to you," she explained.

"Fine, whatever then," he said as he waited for Math to be finished.

_Man I don't know what was more boring, that meeting or this stupid class. Whatever, it's not like this day can get any worse, _Kai thought to himself as everyone left for the next class.

He soon regretted his thought as next was English and it had always been his worst subject. It didn't help his predicament very much that the teacher seemed like a bitch upon his introduction with the shrilly woman named Mrs. Loveless.

"I hope that everyone had a good Holiday but now it is time we get back to work, hey. I feel that we were unable to spend enough time on short stories last term. So we shall continue with the subject hey," Loveless explained as the class prepared for her lecture.

Kai rolled his eyes as he smugly stated, "The holidays are an unimportant piece of shit and this is a damn, stupid, boring excuse for a class."

"Excuse me, young man! Are you insulting the teachings of our wonderful English language?"

"It's not my language. Damn English is stupid and boring and a useless waste of time."

"Another insulting word out of you and you can see me after school for detention," the teacher all but shrieked with anger in her high pitched voice.

"Kai, maybe you should quit while you're ahead. You don't want to get on her bad side," Cassie suggested in a whisper from a desk next to the grey haired young man.

"What, she's just a fucking bitch who should die if you ask me."

"That's it I shall see you in detention Mr. Hiwatari. And there shall be no more of that kind of filthy, vulgar language in my classroom as English is a beautiful art form of the human dialect. I do not tolerate anyone using it in such an improper manner," Loveless lectured going on and on.

"Whatever," Kai remarked and he glared at the bitchy woman as he switched to Japanese, "Kutabare!"

There was a snort next to him like someone trying hard not to laugh. Though before he could really wonder about it a boy in the classroom snickered.

He sounded like he was younger than Kai and Cassie as he commented, "Man, this is great! Not only did this guy get Loveless off topic but that's a new record for her to hate someone's guts. He even beat your record of being hated half way through class, Cass."

"Yeah, no kidding Dylan. Now let's just hope the rest of us don't get our heads bitten off too," Cassie replied as Loveless went on with her teaching.

From that class alone along with the rest of the morning Kai knew that this was going to be a bad and annoying first day. It became even worse as the bell to signal the end of English rang

"That's a shame it looks like we are out of time, already. Before you go I would like you to brainstorm ideas for a short story for homework. The stories will be due in two weeks. See you tomorrow, hey," Loveless assigned as Kai left the bitch's presence with everyone else.

* * *

Once in the halls Cassie had dragged the new student over to a group of lockers. These lockers seemed to be a hangout spot where everyone was gathered and Kai did his best to stay away from the crowd. As he leaned against the wall for a while the girl emerged from the hub of frantic conversation and she began to pester him again.

"You know what you said to Loveless after she told you not to swear was hilarious. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing," Cassie stated with a giggle.

"I said that in Japanese."

"Yeah and Ray taught me some of the language after he came home from that Beyblade tournament. Though insulting things like that I had to figure out on my own," she replied.

"If you're so smart what did I say to her?"

"You said fuck you."

"_Looks like she's smarter than you thought. Now are we going to train or is it just stupid classes all day?_" Black Dranzer wondered, hopefulness in the dark phoenix's voice.

"_Probably just stupid classes and you'll know when we can Beyblade so stop asking,_" Kai snapped as he had become quite annoyed with the day's events so far.

As predicted there were indeed more classes. They were so boring that the grey haired young man barely paid them any attention. Kai's history class was the worst and it was such a waste of time that he fell asleep through it as the morning drew to a close.

Soon after Kai was dragged off to lunch. The young man was so glad he didn't eat much as the food smelt disgusting. From hearing the sounds around him and by tapping into Black Dranzer's eyes he knew that he wasn't the only one not eating. But the food was the least of his worries as a woman approached the table where he was forced to sit at with a group of boys.

Before she reached the table the kid named Dylan whispered, "You better watch out, new kid. The girls say that Mrs. Russell is a real bitch and she looks like she's on one of her bad days."

"Great, what is this annoy Kai day or are all the bitches conspiring against me?" Kai groaned and the woman's voice had disturbingly met his ears.

"You know you should really eat something, young man," Russell pointed out.

With a roll of his eyes Kai growled, "How many times do I have to say to you people that I don't eat?"

"Well if you were one of my girls on the top floor of Senior Residence I'd make sure you'd eat, mark my words."

"I'm not thankfully so fuck off and leave me alone, you bitch," Kai glared, positive that he did not like her and pitied anyone who had to put up with the annoyance.

"Well I never! You shouldn't be allowed to utter such language to your superiors. I may not be directly in charge of you but this isn't over," she exclaimed with a huff and stormed off.

The young man shook his grey head, "Why me? Why can't all these bitches just get off the rag and leave me alone?"

"_Why? Because you are so loveable and fun to torment, Kai,_" interjected Black Dranzer.

"Yeah, I hear you man. Points for telling Russell off like that, it takes guts. Though now she'll probably make your life hell so watch your back," another guy at the table congratulated before Kai could retaliate against the annoying phoenix.

His name was Dave and Kai had met the older boy earlier that day at the lockers. He seemed to the crimson eyed young man like he could be a decent guy though his sense of humour was similar to Ray's.

"Whatever, it's not like she can do anything to me. A bitch like her is nothing compared to the shit I've had to go through," Kai shrugged in response.

"Well come on, let's go talk to someone about getting you some books. Cass said she can help you with learning the basics of Braille but she's busy during the lunch break and asked me to take you down to the Resource Library instead," Dylan explained as Kai heard him rise from his seat.

"And where the hell is she going?" He growled a little ticked that she wasn't coming.

As much as he hated needing help and being dragged around he at least sort of knew her, unlike these other kids.

"She has a meeting with Student Council. I'll see you later, Dave," Dylan stated as he grabbed Kai and led him out of the large dining hall.

* * *

"Stop this already! I doubt wherever we'd be going would have any non-English text books anyway," the grey haired young man said as he dug his feet into the ground.

Dylan sounded confused, "Why would you need a book that isn't in English?"

"Because I can't read it."

"But you're speaking it perfectly."

"So that doesn't mean I can read or write it. I'm half Japanese, half Russian and I can only speak English," Kai explained as he crossed his arms.

"Uh… okay then… Let's go to see Neale instead and maybe he can help you out," Dylan decided and they continued down the hall to the administration area Kai had visited that morning.

Kai returned to the office with his new companion.

As they entered the principal sounded exasperated as he wondered, "What is it that you've done this time, Mr. Johnson?"

"I swear that I haven't done anything for once. Kai here has a problem with his text books so I brought him down to your office," the boy with Kai replied sounding insulted.

Mr. Neale turned his attention to the grey haired young man as he acknowledged the blader, "Ah yes, Mr. Hiwatari. What seems to be the problem?"

"I can't read the text books so Dylan suggested that I come talk to you about it," Kai stated from the spot where he leaned arms crossed, eyes closed against the wall.

"I'm sure that someone can teach you Braille, if you are struggling with it. And if you are serious about needing special assistance you should look more professional when asking for an exception."

"Fine whatever," Kai replied and straightened himself up from the wall. He opened his eyes and stared in the principal's direction before continuing with his predicament, "Well yes there's the Braille part but that's not the whole problem. The thing is I can't read or write English as I never had the chance to learn those aspects of the language."

"Yes, that would be a problem. Why don't you tell me what you can read and I'll see what I can do in regards to reaching a solution."

"I'm fluent in both Japanese and Russian and either or will do. I would prefer Russian as I lived the majority of my life there but I suppose that whatever you can get will be fine," Kai replied with a shrug.

"Hmm… Let me think here for a moment… Japanese would be no good as it's written with pictures. As for Russian, I may be able to arrange some Braille for you with the help of a colleague of mine."

"Good," Kai replied ready to leave the uptight man's presence.

Mr. Neale inquired, "Well I shall see what I can do about the accommodations once I have a spare moment. In the meantime you can use Jaws until we receive the materials, correct?"

"Not yet but one of the girls said she could show me how to use it later," Kai answered.

"Excellent, now that the lunch break is almost over you boys should hurry up and run along to class."

"Whatever," Kai voiced as he and the other boy left the office.

* * *

The crimson eyed young man was glad to be free of the suffocating office but now he had the rest of his school day to toil through. The remainder of the day repeated a pattern similar to the morning and nothing eventful occurred throughout the course of the rest of the day.

Kai had been given a tour of the residence and was shown a little bit of that one computer program during a time period set aside for studying after dinner. Still nothing exciting had happened and Kai found himself back in the room he shared with King by the time evening had rolled around. There wasn't really anything to do that didn't involve socializing and Kai had merely camped out on his bed.

"_I am so bored! How can this place be so boring?_" The dark phoenix complained in the young man's head.

"_I don't know. At least you're not the one who has to suffer through it,_" Kai retorted.

"_No but I have to watch and listen to it and I need something more exciting to occupy my attention._"

"_So do I but I'm only here until I can discover a way to get back home. Hopefully I'll only have to be here for a short time,_" Kai stated unsure how long he could put up with this place himself.

"_Well it better be short. I want to be back in the action in the dish soon._"

"_Maybe I can get some training in tomorrow or the day after,_" replied the crimson eyed Beyblader.

"_Good, I can't wait to be tearing through Beyblades again,_" Black Dranzer snickered happy at the thought.

"_I don't know about that but we'll see,_" Kai replied thoughtfully as he ended the mental conversation.

The new student lay there in the welcoming silence of his room. And he desperately wished that the rest of his stay at this school could be endured easier than that first day.

* * *

I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and that this made up for the long wait. I have exams to do this week so this will have to keep you tied over for a while. Hopefully after exams I can have the next chapter up soon and it won't be as long a wait as this one was. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and reading the story so far. The feedback inspires me to keep going. So let me know what you think and I'll give out cookies and chocolate in light of the spirit of giving during this wonderful Holiday season.


	7. Holding On

Wow this was a pretty fast update for me especially when this chapter is so long. I apologize to anyone who doesn't like how I hurt the characters in this chapter and I don't own the song Simple Plan does. That being said this is what happens when I'm in such a good mood from finishing my exams and I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I do.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Holding On**

The weeks had passed after Christmas and Bree's moodiness had returned somewhat. The woman wasn't exactly depressed, what she felt was more of a longing for the dead young man she truly loved. The strange feeling had begun the day after the anniversary of Kai's death and was becoming steadily stronger as time wore on.

It had seemed to intensify after the Holidays. Bree didn't know what exactly this feeling was but it was almost as if Kai was still with her. Even though she knew that he was dead she could just feel it deep inside of her heart.

That day her brother and Tala were off working at the RBBA or Russian Beyblade Battle Association. Kayla was cooking something up while the kids were having their daily nap. Which meant that Bree was left alone in the living room.

As she sat in the old chair Bree drew out a small object from the pocket of Kai's old jacket. It was a beautiful golden ring studded with a magnificent diamond.

_Kai, why did you have to leave me? We were going to get married once we were old enough. I've cherished this ring ever since you proposed to me and I still remember the day that you gave it to me, _Bree thought to herself in silence as her mind returned to the happiness she had in the past.

**

* * *

**

Flashback

It was six months after the fall of Biovolt and life had been running pretty smoothly since then. I was sitting in the chair I was now with Kai's arms wrapped around me. The two of us were sharing a moment when the phone rang.

Looking up into my boyfriend's crimson depths I wondered, "Shouldn't we answer that?"

"Let someone else get it," Kai replied as his lips met with mine.

I then heard Kayla answer and a minute later the girl called over to us, "Hey bro, the phone's for you!"

"Damn it," the boy cursed as he rose from the comfortable position and answered, "You guys know you shouldn't be calling home on the job, especially when I'm enjoying myself!"

There was a pause as Kai listened to the other speaker and his tone had changed when he continued, "Oh, it's you Ray. What do you want… I guess you won't take no for an answer then… Fine, whatever, I'll see you later."

Kai hung up the phone and finally returned to my side.

As we resumed our comfortable position I wondered, "What was that all about?"

"That was one of my teammates. The Bladebreakers want me to go over to celebrate the half year anniversary of our victory against Biovolt. The idiots aren't really giving me much of a choice and the mother of one of my other teammates is going to be here later with a helicopter to pick me up," Kai replied as he caressed me.

I didn't want him to go but as the blue haired teen had mentioned the sound of a helicopter could be heard later that evening.

I hugged him as I asked, "Do you really have to go?"

"Unfortunately but I should be back soon," he replied and then turning away from me for a moment he asked, "Hey Tala can you get that and tell Judy to wait a while? I want to say goodbye to Bree properly."

"Yeah sure, I guess. Are you finally going to do it?"

"Just go and answer the door," Kai grunted.

"Fine, hey Bry he's finally going to do it," the redhead called and Tala and my brother snickered as he went to the door.

My attention was turned away from them and I soon forgot about the boys as Kai took my hand. His eyes were full of emotion and love as he spoke, "I wanted to do this in a more romantic way but before I go I want you to know how much I love you…"

"But I already know that you love me."

"Yeah I know but this is different. Besides knowing your answer to this question will help me get through the torture of being around Tyson and the rest of the team," he replied before bending down on one knee to ask his question, "Bree, I know we're still pretty young but will you marry me, once we're old enough that is?"

"Of course I will Kai," I exclaimed overjoyed as I kissed the one I loved.

He rose and placed the beautiful ring on my finger as he actually smiled for once, "Well I guess I should get going."

"Yeah, I guess so. You know if things get too torturous you can just look at the old letter I gave you," I replied now in a good mood despite the fact that he would be gone for a while.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that thing still in my pocket."

"Well have a good trip."

"Yeah, thanks Bree," he said as he left the house with cheers from Bryan and Tala calling after him.

I wasn't really listening to them and as Kai was now out of sight I looked down at the gorgeous ring my new fiancée had given to me.

**

* * *

**

End Flashback

_I just wish that life didn't have to be so cruel. First I lose my twin brother and then like that wasn't bad enough I lost Kai too. Why did he have to die? We were so perfect together and I really loved him, _Bree thought as she fingered the precious ring.

A while later she heard the door open and stowed the ring safely away as the men announced that they were home.

**Once again I'm falling to my knees  
I try to escape cause I just can't take it  
And now this feeling is spreading like a disease  
I fake another day and the wheel keeps turning  
**

* * *

As Tala entered the house with his brother-in-law he grinned, "Something sure smells good, huh Bry?"

"Yeah, I guess the girls have cooked dinner already," the purple haired man agreed.

"Well I'm going to go see what Bree's up to," the redhead declared and he went to find his wife.

When he spotted her in the living room he wondered, "Hey Bree, what's up?"

"Nothing really, I was just thinking about that time Kai went to celebrate the half year anniversary of the fall of Biovolt with his old team," the woman replied.

_In other words the day he proposed to her, _Tala thought and stated, "I thought that you were over Kai with the Holidays?"

"Not exactly, I was just trying to make it a happy time for the kids. Tala I know that he's gone and that I should be over him after all this time… But…"

"But what?" He insisted when she remained silent.

"But… a part of me wants to believe that he's alive somewhere. I know that it's stupid and I'm crazy for thinking it but I just have this feeling deep inside of me that he's alive," she said a longing held in her sea blue gaze.

"Come on Bree we all know he's dead. You saw it happen, Bryan saw it happen, his own sister saw it happen. Kai's gone and he's not coming back, you know that."

Bree snapped, "Don't you think I know that? What, am I not allowed to want him to be alive?"

"I guess you can, the rest of us would want nothing more than for that to be possible too. He was my best friend, you know but what you're wishing for isn't possible. It's just a fantasy in your imagination," there was a long pause for a moment before Tala let out a sigh, "So I was right, you do still love him and I bet you still have that ring he gave you too."

"So, what's your point Tala?"

Feeling pain from her statement Tala bore into her with his icy blue depths as he finally asked a question that had been burning in his mind for some time now, "Bree, why did you marry me?"

"Well he was dead and you were the one who cared and comforted me when I needed it the most. I liked you and knew that I could never be with him so when you proposed I decided to say yes," she replied in a way that seemed like Tala's question was unimportant to her.

This hurt the redheaded man and he looked away as he thought, _So that's it then. Her heart belongs to Kai and I'll always just be second best, whether he's dead or alive._

The worried sound of Bree's voice broke him from the thought as she wondered, "Tala? What's wrong?

"Nothing, I'm going to go for a walk for a while," he lied as he went out into the evening.

Outside the redheaded man wandered around the snow covered streets of the icy city of Russia.

**This place is so pathetic  
Doesn't anybody get it  
Is there anybody home?  
Is there anybody home?  
There's nothing left.  
We're just a shadow of what we used to be  
**

_I knew that this was coming but I should have been ready for this sooner and more prepared. I guess just thinking about it and actually experiencing it are two completely different things. I didn't know that the reality of it would hurt so damn much. _

_Her feelings are so obvious. Bree was so happy and used to smile all the time around him. When he died she became the complete opposite and I haven't seen a genuine smile from her since that terrible day. But she didn't deny loving him so what hope do I have? _

_Well even if that is the case I don't care, Bree is my wife and I will do my best to love and care for her as a husband should. I would do everything in my power to make her happy and see a real smile back on her face again. Even if that meant I would have to give her up to Kai, were that by some miraculous chance possible. _

_Why do I torment myself so with things like this? It must be because of how much I love her. I guess that maybe it is true what they say and that love really is stupid and blind, _Tala thought to himself.

Some time alone was just what he had needed and he returned to his family once he had the chance to contemplate over all the emotions that were running though his head.

* * *

It was a couple nights after Kai's first day of school and his dreams were becoming worse. He had tried to sleep but images of doom and suffering continued to plague his subconscious mind. If it wasn't dreams about reliving his parent's death or his own, it was his friends being hurt and he was too late to save them. That night it was one of these later nightmares that constantly disturbed his slumber.

**In the night there's a fire in my eyes  
And this paradise has become a place we've come to cry.  
**

Unable to endure it any longer Kai bolted up from his bed and took to the halls at an attempt to rid his mind from the painful nightmares. It was the middle of the night and with everyone in bed Kai had complete solitude. It appeared like no one was awake as he breathed in the calming silence.

He had made it down the dark hall to where there was a room. It was located past a group of chairs that sat before the front entrance in a waiting area sort of fashion.

Opening the door Kai wondered, "_Which room is this?_"

"_It's some lounge type room. There's couches and chairs and a TV on the back wall,_" Black Dranzer answered as he explained his master's surroundings.

Kai perched himself in one of these cushioned chairs and as the nightmare's darkness returned to him the grey haired young man remembered something.

_I hope that I still have it, _Kai thought as he rummaged around in his pockets.

Kai's hand closed around something and a smirk formed on the young man's face as he pulled out a folded piece of paper. Though he couldn't see it Kai unfolded the paper and stared down at it.

**When I open your letter the words make it better it takes it all away **

**Whoaoh it keeps me holding on  
Whoaoh it keeps me holding on  
**

Black Dranzer sounded curious as he wondered, _What's that?_

_It's a letter that Bree gave to me when we were kids._"

"_Oh, you want me to read it out for you?_"

"_No need, I already know what it says, _Kai replied as he had read the letter enough times to memorize its contents.

_I remember when she first gave this to me to help against the dark times we encountered in the abbey, _he thought wistfully.

As Kai leaned back in the chair and fingered the letter he recalled the childhood he had spent with his friends.

**

* * *

**

Flashback

I was nine at the time and the arduous routine of abbey life was beginning to take its toll on me. Even though my sister was now stuck in the ominous place as well and I had my friends I just felt so alone with everything that had happened. It had been a few weeks since the expedition to my old home but having gone back there still hurt me.

**Here we are pretending we're ok  
You can say what you want but you still can't fool me  
The life we're living  
It's all a mess gone array  
I try to smile but I can't remember how  
**

I knew I would never be able to return home under my present situation of being stuck in this damn place. It didn't help matters either that my pet cat had died or that Boris had just destroyed the stuffed bear my friends had given me. Luckily the scarf remained intact to comfort me but the feeling of darkening despair threatened to consume my being as the days wore on.

Training was hard enough as the first annual World Championships would be approaching the upcoming year and the weekly escape of freedom to the outside world was loosing its thrill as well. People were too happy and cheery during the month of December. And socializing with these people to make a name for the team was really starting to annoy the hell out of me.

**So how'd we get so jaded  
Is it so complicated  
To not give up on me?  
**

As we walked through the snow covered streets of Moscow my best friend Tala looked over at me.

Concerned the older boy asked, "Are you alright Kai?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied emotionlessly.

Bryan added, "You sure? You've been real quiet lately?"

"Yes, now let's go!"

As the three of us made to continue the journey Bree lingered behind us.

Bryan was the first to notice as the purple haired boy called over his shoulder, "You coming, sis?"

"In a minute, could I talk to you first, Kai?"

"Sure," I replied worried that there was something wrong, though I didn't show it.

As Tala and Bryan went off ahead of us Bree began, "You know the guys are right. You haven't been yourself lately, ever since our first trip out here."

She seemed concerned and worried as if she could tell that I was succumbing to apathy. Her beautiful sea blue eyes bore into me and I was unable to keep the truth from her any longer.

I sighed, "I guess that everything's just been getting to me the past few weeks."

**In the night there's a fire in my eyes  
And this paradise has become a place we've come to cry.  
When I open your letter the words make it better it takes it all away **

**Whoaoh it keeps me holding on  
**

"Well maybe I can help… Here! When you feel like the darkness is getting too close or you're just really down, read this and you'll know that you're not alone," the girl a year older than me smiled as she handed me a letter.

"Yeah, I'll remember that," I responded as I tucked the letter safely away in my pocket.

"Good, now come on before the others get too far ahead," she grinned as we ran off to catch up to our friends.

**

* * *

**

End Flashback

Before Kai could recall the instant when he had opened the letter a voice had returned his mind to the present.

"Hey young man, what are you doing up at this hour?"

It was a man's voice who- instead of sounding angry at Kai as he had expected= inquired with a tone of curiosity and sympathy. Kai also hadn't expected anyone to disturb him as it was so late at night.

So he asked, "Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

"I'm sorry kid, let me introduce myself. I'm Mr. Gall and I want to know what you're doing out of bed?"

"I just couldn't sleep, like it really matters to you," Kai replied with a shrug.

**Whenever I need you  
Wherever I run to  
I'll know where to find you  
It keeps me holding on  
Whenever I need you  
Wherever I run to  
I'll know where to find you  
**

It was the truth after all but it wasn't like Kai would tell this guy the reason he couldn't sleep. There was no way in hell he would ever tell someone at this place about his damned nightmares.

"Well it does matter, one of us staff needs to stay over each night to make sure that you kids are alright. Now why don't you grab a drink of water and try to get some sleep? If you can't, stay in your room at least so we know where you are in case of emergency," Mr. Gall suggested and Kai rose to leave the lounge.

The grey haired young man had skipped the water Gall had mentioned and had gone straight down the hall back to his bedroom. Though he knew that sleeping was hopeless for him the grey haired young man lay down in his bed anyway.

**On  
You keep me holding on  
You keep me holding on whoaoh  
**

Kai opened the letter again and clutched it tightly in his grip as he lay there. He stared down towards it as he remembered the words written on the paper that had kept him sane at the abbey.

**In the night there's a fire in my eyes  
And this paradise has become a place we've come to cry.  
When I open your letter the words make it better it takes it all away **

**Whoaoh it keeps me holding on.  
**

_Dear Kai._

_I know that having to live in this place is hard. I've been stuck in this place for my whole life, but things will get better. We'll all be free one day, you'll see. Just please don't ever give into them or the darkness around you! You have friends who are with you and we'll always be there for you when you need us. If you remember that then they can never win. With these words, Kai I promise that I'll be right there with you and that you'll never have to feel alone again._

_Love Bree._

**Whenever I need you  
Wherever I run to  
I'll know where to find you  
It keeps me holding on  
**

Those words had comforted him after the beatings he had been forced to endure each night and they worked their magic again as Kai's crimson orbs began to droop. With the words of Bree's loving letter in his mind Kai was miraculously able to drift off into a peaceful slumber, free of dreams.

**Whenever I need you  
Wherever I run to  
I'll know where to find you  
It keeps me holding on**

* * *

Off in Fort Erie- hidden deep within the Earth's depths- Voltaire Hiwatari was lounging in his elegant office within the new facility. As the old man reclined back in the comfortable chair behind his desk he enjoyed a spirit of fine, rich Vodka. Though he was relaxing and drinking, Voltaire was extremely angry at this point in time.

Kai had escaped from him, again and now everything that he had worked for in the past three years could be in jeopardy. His men were still searching but after two weeks of their efforts resulting in nothing but failure the old man was beginning to worry that his Grandson had vanished into thin air.

_Err, I need that boy, my men should have found the little brat by now! Maybe I should fire all their asses for being so damn incompetent. But there is no need for hastiness like that yet. In this stage of the game I still need loyal supporters for my bid of world domination. Well I still have one last trick up my sleeve, perhaps a little Beyblade competition will lure you out from where you are hiding, Kai._

Voltaire thought to himself and set down his goblet of Vodka on the desk before him. He then removed his cell phone from within a pocket to find that it was vibrating in his hand. Wondering who in their right mind would be fool enough to interrupt his solitude, Voltaire flipped open the phone and checked the display.

Pleased by what he saw there the old man answered the phone, "Hello Don, it's good to hear from you. It's funny as I was actually just about to call you myself."

Through the speaker of the mobile phone Voltaire heard another man's voice respond, "Yes, Lord Voltaire. What can I do for you?"

"I would like you to set up a Beyblade Tournament at that school of yours. I need to have followers and soldiers in my time of conquest and it would be beneficial to see if any of your students have potential."

"Yes sir, I shall see to it right away. Before I attend to the arrangements I have a question for you My Lord?"

"What might that be?"

"Well you see, sir, one of my students is illiterate in English and was requesting Russian Braille. So I figured that you may be able to assist me with the accommodations," explained Don.

"This student is Russian? Hmm… are they only Russian or are they a mix with something else as well?"

"I'm not sure, he didn't say. All we discussed was that he couldn't read or write English and that he needed either Russian or Japanese text books."

Voltaire was going out on a limb with his hunch as he pressed the man on the other end for answers, "Do you know his appearance, a name, anything?"

"His name is Kai… Hiwatari…" Don stuttered as he seemed to come to some kind of realization, "He wouldn't happen to be related to you would he, Mr. Hiwatari?"

"Yes he is, Kai is my Grandson. Whatever the hell he is doing at a blind school is beyond me but why don't you extend him an invitation to our little tournament. I want it to be made absolutely certain that he Beyblades."

"Will you come to pay the boy a visit?"

"Not at the moment. I wouldn't want to scare him away just yet as he isn't too fond of me. But I will come to judge the finals of the tournament, until then, keep an eye on him for me. Now I shall let you get to work, oh and Mr. Neale one more thing…"

"Yes Lord Voltaire?"

"Don't call me directly again. I am still a wanted man and being tracked down here through an unsecured phone line would be just what I need. That would ruin everything I've worked so hard to achieve," Voltaire commanded as he turned his phone off.

* * *

Sitting up in his seat Voltaire pushed a button to connect to an intercom system he had established in the building.

"Gavril, get in here immediately!" Voltaire demanded through the intercom.

A minute later and the head scientist came running into the office.

As he entered the room he huffed, "What can I do for you Lord Voltaire?"

"You can tell me how the hell it is possible that my Grandson is blind!"

"What? I didn't receive any information of that. Where does this idea come from, sir?"

"I was just on the phone with Don Neale and he informed me that our little run away is at his school and asked for Russian Braille. This means that he can't see!"

"So that is where he ran off to. Should I send the men after him, sir?"

"No if Don is telling the truth he will need to adjust and being at Don's school is the best place for him to accomplish that. Besides I would like to see how well he can manage with this kind of challenge. Though this kind of failure could end up being a major setback to our plans. My Grandson is supposed to be the perfect Beyblading warrior and leader of my army! There is no room for such an imperfection in him as blindness! Now I demand an explanation on how this kind of mishap could be possible!"

"Well sir I believe that it could be one of two things. Either your Grandson somehow lost his sight after he left us. Though that conclusion is possible I don't believe it to be very likely. My other theory would be far more plausible as it explains how he could have become blind as well as the reason as to why-"

"Out with it already Ivanov, before you try my patience any further!"

"Of course sir, my theory is this. We had Kai's body preserved in a freezer for two full years and I believe that exposure to that kind of low temperature for so long is what caused the problem. I am well aware that the body would have decomposed were it not preserved in such a way but being in that kind of condition could have caused damage to Kai's optical nerves, or retina, as well as any number of crucial components of the eyes. When we resurrected the boy the damage had already been done and was far too severe for the body to be able to repair itself even after Kai's soul had been brought back," Gavril explained to his boss.

"So this is your fault! Kai is blind all because you didn't have Black Dranzer ready in time! Well you better find a way to reverse this before it is time to claim the world under my control, or else," Voltaire bellowed again unleashing his wrath on the redheaded scientist.

"But sir… What if it's irreversible?"

"You better pray that it isn't or you and the rest of your scientists shall pay the price! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, now get out of my sight!"

The redheaded man scurried off as Voltaire leaned back into his high backed chair to plot out his course of action after having received this new information. Whether his Grandson's flaw could be fixed or not Voltaire still required the boy for his plans to succeed. He needed Kai to be at the head of his army, as he remained the sole person who could control the powerful, unpredictable dark bitbeast.

_As long as Black Dranzer remains in my Grandson's possession, the boy will return to me one way or another. With the evil bitbeast now a part of you, Kai everything I have worked so hard for over the years will soon fall into place. My time will soon be at hand and my ultimate goal of world domination will finally be mine to grasp!MUAHAHA!_

* * *

And that's another chapter done. If anyone is confused about my timing with the flasbacks go back and reread parts of the prequel fic Friendship in Russia. Anyway I hope that you liked this chapter as it is the longest one I have written so far and that it will hold you over as I take a break from this fic for a while. That said if I don't get another chapter of this up before the holidays I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


	8. Fame, Music, and Blading

Hey everyone I almost didn't think I would be able to get this chapter up by the end of the month but it's finally finished. There's not much plot development in this one but it's a nice amusing chapter and I hope that you all like it. Read on and enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Fame, Music, and Blading**

It was now Kai's second week of school and the grey haired young man was finally starting to get used to his new environment. He still despised the school and the people in it but it was blissful to be able to get around on his own at least. As he walked around the second floor of the main school building Black Dranzer's voice penetrated his calm silence.

"_Well I bet you're happy with finally learning your way around this place. How does it feel not needing to rely on help from people like your friend's sister to show you around?_"

"_How do you think? It's the best of course, like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. No more having to worry about people annoying the hell out of me._"

"_Yeah now you can get back to your good old loner self,_" the dark phoenix snickered.

Kai ignored the comment as he reached one of the locker bays. He stopped there and leaned against his locker as he let out a sigh, content with the peaceful solitude. He was happy to be alone with no one around to bug him but the quiet didn't last long.

A moment later the bell to signal the end of the morning classes sounded through the building. As it rang mobs of students flooded out from the classrooms, most of which flocked around the lockers.

From the fray the grey haired young man could hear the voice of Ray's twin sister call over to him, "Hey Kai, you got here fast! Did Mr. Bernard let you guys out of class early or something?"

Kai shrugged, "Beats me I didn't go."

"I know history isn't one of the best classes but I don't think that you should have skipped. It's only your second week here so you should be going to your classes," the girl scolded.

"Oh well I didn't feel like being bored to death again and I wasn't really in the mood for a nap either. So what the teacher doesn't know won't hurt him," Kai answered unwavering from his usual pose.

From the mix of voices Kai heard someone else address him, "You know Kai? Leaning against the wall with your arms crossed and eyes closed like that, you look almost exactly like the captain of the Beyblade team who one the World Championships a few years back."

Kai recognized the voice to belong to Dave and he grunted in response. The crimson eyed young man wished to remain free of the fame and hoped that no one else would pick up on Dave's observation. Of course someone did.

Unfortunately for Kai some girl shrieked, "Oh my God, he's right! It's Kai Hiwatari from the Bladebreakers!"

The shrill shriek sounded like it had come from near Dave's direction. Kai guessed that it was a younger girl and probably some dumb annoying blonde. Using Black Dranzer's eyes the young man could tell that he was right. His fiery gaze focused on a preppy looking blonde dressed all in pink who stood next to Dave.

To Kai's dismay she looked about to run over to pounce on him. Luckily for him she had been stopped by someone else cutting her off.

"Steph, he may look a little like this captain of the World Champion Beyblade team but he's probably just some stupid guy trying to play a prank on all of us by pretending to be him. Last time I checked Kai Hiwatari's hair was blue not grey and since when would someone famous come to this pathetic dump of a school?" It was a boy who spoke this time and he commented in a smug ignorant sounding tone.

Kai turned his head to get a look at the speaker before his sight faded again. The boy was dark skinned and looked a lot like his roommate King. From the look and sound of the dark skinned boy Kai could tell that he would dislike this kid.

"But besides his hair and age he looks so much like him. He even has the scarf. Show them the magazine, Lindsey," the pink girl, Steph, insisted.

"_What's so good about this magazine now?_" Kai asked the bitbeast in his head as there was a silence in the locker bay.

"_It's got a picture of you and your old teammates on the cover. This other girl with blonde almost white hair is holding it up and everyone is staring at it,_" Black Dranzer explained and after a moment King broke the silence.

"Okay we can all see that this guy resembles Kai Hiwatari and I thought he might've been too when I first met my new roomie. But if you remember the headlines in the papers and on the news and everything you'd remember that the captain of the Bladebreakers is dead."

"See this is just some big joke, as I said and you girls are foolish enough to believe it," the ignorant sounding boy rambled on in triumph.

"Oh shut up Courtney! As much as I hate to agree with Stephannie she's right for once. His name is Kai Hiwatari and Ray recognized him as being his old captain. Or have you guys all forgotten that my brother used to be a part of that team," Cassie stated sounding as if she was becoming irritated with the ignorant kid and the whole stupid scene.

"We know Cass, your brother is almost as hot as Kai here is," a lower preppy voice that must have belonged to Lindsey exclaimed.

"Nope, I don't believe it. No famous person would ever come here and be blind for that matter," Courtney stated in disbelief.

"Yeah and if this really is Kai Hiwatari how can he be here when he's supposed to be dead?" King questioningly wondered.

"Umm… I'm not sure," Cassie mumbled stalling for some time to figure out an answer.

While she attempted to come up with an answer Kai saw his opportunity and stole away. The grey haired young man striding off with his scarf trailing behind him.

* * *

As Kai took off down the hall it seemed like his absence had been noticed as squeals from the annoying girls pierced the air. A second later and the damned fangirls were chasing after him.

Kai bolted into a run and took off down the main flight of stairs. He missed the first floor landing and continued down the stairs to another landing where he burst out a door to an expanse of land outside the building. It was a fairly large courtyard surrounded by the walls of the school.

The courtyard contained play equipment like swings, slides and other kid stuff. Kai had been out there a couple of times already so he knew what was in the quiet sanctuary. It was a nice secluded place that Kai had escaped to often enough and now he ran out there to hide away from the fangirls. It seemed like the girls had stopped chasing him as Kai walked through the courtyard.

_I guess they must have gone off to lunch, _Kai thought to himself as he found a quiet spot away from the childish equipment.

"_Hey now that we're outside how about some Beyblading,_" Black Dranzer inquired eagerly.

"_Don't you ever get tired of asking me that?_"

"_No so can we?_" The dark phoenix persisted.

"Whatever," Kai replied as he pulled the black blade from his pocket.

The stoic blader launched the blade with a powerful force and sent the Beyblade into a training pattern as it spun around the grass. As Black Dranzer whirred around the blader's feet Kai had to stop the power of the destructive bitbeast from taking out some trees that stood in the open courtyard.

"_I allowed you to launch I never said that you could try and destroy things that got in your path. Now that's enough, _Kai angrily commanded as he held out his hand to recall the Beyblade.

"_Oh fine be that way,_" Black Dranzer reluctantly obeyed as he returned to his master's hand.

As the crimson eyed blader had ended the training session it appeared that students had finished eating lunch as some people had entered into the young man's sanctuary. Kai once more wandered around the courtyard in search of a better spot.

The stoic loner of a blader eventually ended up leaning against a tree near the door he had used to exit the school. Alone with his thoughts Kai's mind lingered on his old days in the abbey.

_At least we were all together back then. Even if the abbey was a crappy place there was no worrying about how the hell I'm supposed to get home to my friends and girl. Life was so much simpler when I was a stupid kid, striving for perfection and trying to make it through each day with the guys. Oh well, maybe listening to some music will take my mind off them and help make me feel better, _Kai sighed as he turned on his MP3 Player.

He flipped through the music on it for a minute trying to find a decent song. The MP3 Player flipped to Holding On by Simple Plan and Kai closed his eyes allowing the music to play through the headphones while he leaned there against the tree. The song started to get going into the chorus and the grey haired young man absentmindedly began to sing along to the lyrics.

Kai really didn't care if anyone heard him as he was unaware that he was actually singing. He was so into the music that he barely noticed when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hn?" Kai grunted as he removed his headphones, annoyed that someone had disturbed his solitude.

"You know you have a great voice there young man. Have you ever thought about taking music lessons?"

The voice that addressed Kai sounded like it belonged to an older man and Kai glared in his direction, "I was singing?"

"Yes and you sound like you are quite talented. My name is Mr. Boyd and I'm the teacher who is in charge of the music department here. I could give you lessons on how to improve your singing if you like," offered Mr. Boyd.

_Crap! Why did this guy have to hear me? _Kai wondered to himself.

"_Because like he said you have such a great voice and a wonderful talent for singing, _the dark phoenix mocked in Kai's head as it seemed like the bitbeast was enjoying the young man's predicament.

"_Oh just shut up and let me see what the guy looks like already," _Kai growled and as he blinked the world came into focus.

The young man's ability to guess things about a person by their voice seemed to be improving as his guess about this guy being an older man was correct. Mr. Boyd had short brown hair and a short beard of the same colour. He wore clothes that looked professional giving Kai the sense that he liked to keep a good impression for his job.

Boyd had a hand extended to Kai for him to shake but the stoic blader ignored it as he wondered, "What makes you think that I would want to improve at singing when I don't even like it?"

"I'm not going to force you into it but you can get an easy credit out of taking music," Mr. Boyd replied.

"And this credit includes what exactly?" Kai inquired as the teacher had peeked his interest.

"Well there are three components to earning a full credit but why don't you come with me to my office and we can discuss the details further?"

Kai obliged as he was curious about how he could get marks without really having to do any work. So he followed the man to the part of the school that was specifically meant for music.

The music wing was located near the hall behind the gym that led out to the pathway to Senior Residence. On the tour Cassie had given him the previous week Kai had found that there were a few corridors that stretched the length of this part of the school. In the main corridor of the music wing- a couple of doors down the right side of the hall- was where Mr. Boyd's office was situated.

With Black Dranzer's description Kai knew that the office resembled a big classroom. There were two grand pianos in the centre and a big table with a bunch of chairs stacked next to it on the far side of the room. In the part of the room closer to Kai there was a desk, a bunch of shelves against the wall, as well as a counter just to the right of the door.

Boyd invited the young man to sit on one of the piano benches but Kai just leaned against the counter instead.

"So about this stupid music thing, would I get to miss classes?"

"If you don't have any spare periods then I would find a less important class for you to be excused from once a week for your music lessons. Having lessons is one of the three components that make up a full credit and it is crucial that you have a class set aside to learn the music so yes you would have to miss a class," Boyd replied.

_Man if only I could miss damn English for this, _Kai thought as he considered the prospect of taking music. "Okay that part doesn't sound so bad, I guess. What else would I have to do for this?"

"The other two components are a class that studies the stages of Music throughout History every Friday morning and participating in Choir practice Tuesday evenings," the music teacher explained.

The young man's eye twitched as he didn't like the idea of that last part, "Choir? I hate it when people hear me sing so what the hell makes you think that I'll sing with a bunch of other people?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to but if you want to earn a full credit then you will just have to join Choir as well. Mr. umm…"

"Hiwatari, my name is Kai Hiwatari."

"Well then Mr. Hiwatari what do you say?"

_This guy seems a little too friendly but I guess he's not that bad. I'll have to keep on guard to see if he has any alterior motives but I think that I can trust him, _Kai decided as he responded, "I'll have to think about it."

"You take your time then but just in case how about we go over your schedule to determine a good time to set up a lesson," Mr. Boyd suggested.

"Fine whatever," Kai shrugged and he discussed his classes with the man until the end of the lunch period.

At the end of it all they had decided on a time that would take up Kai's boring history class the next day. Kai was pretty pleased by the opportunity to miss one of his most hated classes as he left the office.

* * *

Kai walked off in the direction of the courtyard. He was hoping to skip class again but his plan was foiled. As he hit the main staircase Cassie called out his name and then stopped him when he remained silent.

In a cheery tone the girl wondered, "Hey Kai, coming to class?"

The crimson eyed young man glared at her as he retorted, "You going to give me a choice?"

"Everyone has a choice but you shouldn't be skipping," Cassie stated.

"Yeah well civics is too easy and I find it a waste of time."

"Easy, you call Civics easy? I'm barely passing it," Ray's sister said with a shudder.

"It's just Politics, living with my insane grandfather I know all that I need to about the subject. And yes I know Japan's Politics may be different from Canada but it's practically the same thing," Kai stated coolly with a shrug.

"Then passing the class should be no problem for you. Now come on, we're at the classroom so you might as well go in already," the annoying girl insisted and though he couldn't see it the young man knew that she was grinning.

While they had been arguing Cassie had somehow managed to drag Kai up the stairs and the two of them now stood before Bernard's classroom.

_Damn I hate it when she does that,_ Kai swore agitated that she had messed with his plans of a quiet, solitary afternoon.

Kai didn't mind studying something he'd had a broad education on but one class with the monotone sounding teacher was enough for the blader. Eventually Kai sighed and entered the room, sitting down in his usual spot along the end of a large table.

This table was in the shape of a backwards C and filled the centre of a computer lab like classroom. Cassie sat down next to him. The girl pointed out they had beaten the teacher as she made an attempt at starting up a conversation.

"Sorry about the Stephannie and Lindsey going all fangirl on you thing. How was your lunch break?"

Kai didn't answer her at first as the young man was angry to actually be early for a class for once. He merely sat there in his usual pose waiting for the class to start so he could get the damn thing over with. But in the time he had spent around Cassie Kai had found out that like Ray his friend's sister could be equally annoying and persistent. The girl reminded him of this now as he ignored her.

So becoming irritated and wanting Cassie to leave him alone Kai finally answered "Lunch was annoying the music teacher talked to me about taking the course."

"Cool, does that mean you're going to join us for Choir tonight?"

"Hell no I only told Boyd I was thinking about it," Kai replied.

"_Don't deny that you're going to do it Kai. I know that you're tempted by the idea of having a valid excuse to skip your History class once a week._"

"Whatever, I'm not going," Kai retorted.

The dark phoenix went on to say something else but Kai wasn't paying attention anymore. He was more interested in what Cassie said as he realized the comment he'd made had been out loud.

"I didn't say anything else but that's too bad you won't go. We could really use more guys in Choir."

Kai was relieved the girl had overlooked the possibility of the comment being meant for a voice inside of his head as he shrugged, "Oh well I bet your lunch was far better than mine was."

"Not really, we had a Student Council meeting about this Beyblade Tournament Mr. Neale wants to hold in the school. After school I have to help put up posters for it which is going to cut into my sports' time," Cassie replied.

Her words had peeked Kai's curiosity as he inquired, "Why would the principal of a blind school want to have a Beyblade tournament?"

"I don't know exactly. Something about it being a good event for the school to show team spirit and stuff like that. You're a famous Beyblader, you should join. It would probably motivate other kids to have a chance to challenge you, The Great Kai Hiwatari."

"So, you can forget about me joining that too. I've been retired for years."

Hearing that it wouldn't get a chance to battle the dark phoenix protested, "_Why won't you join the tournament? We have a deal so I should get to Beyblade!_"

"_And you will, I'd just rather not unleash your power on a bunch of unsuspecting inexperienced blind kids. Besides something about this doesn't feel right so I'm not blading,_" Kai explained and ended the mental conversation.

Soon after the class began but Kai wasn't really paying attention. His mind was sidetracked by the information Cassie had given him.

_I know that it wouldn't have been Mr. Dickinson who planned this otherwise the news would be all over the Beyblading community and Ray would have heard something about it before now. But I don't think that Voltaire is behind this either. The bastard obviously still doesn't know where I am or I would have been dragged back to his new base a long time ago. __There's also the fact that according to people working here those in charge of this school are a part of the Government. And the Canadian Government wouldn't be working for that damn bastard Voltaire, or would they?_

Throughout the entire Civics class Kai pondered these thoughts. Kai wasn't sure what to think about the whole thing and he desperately hoped that the idea of the tournament had nothing to do with his damn evil no matter how he looked at it the thing still seemed like a fishy coincidence to him and Kai didn't like it one bit.

* * *

There you have it another chapter finished. Now should I or shouldn't I have Kai take music and have to join Choir practice? What do you guys think? Send me a review to let me know and the next chapter will be coming soon. Sadly I have another stupid essay to do for school so I will try to update this when I can. I hope that you liked the chapter and thanks to everyone who is reading.


	9. A Deal

Oh my God this chapter turned out to be long. Now I know this may probably seem like a bunch of filler but this chapter is really one that begins to advance my plot and starts to get things going. Well that's all I really have to say so I hope that you enjoy this nice long chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 9: A Deal**

**Cassie's POV**

"So Cass what do you think of this whole Beyblade thing?" One of my friends, Kathleen, asked me.

"I'm not sure but I'll tell you one thing. I hate how advertising for this tournament has to cut into my sports time," I grumbled to the blond girl as we walked through the school.

We had finished putting up the stupid posters and were now on our way to the Library for our nightly study hour. The staff of the residence sometimes allowed students to go to study in the Library if we needed to work in groups or do homework with the boys.

Kathleen and I thought it would be a good idea to use the quiet there and the extra computers in the computer labs to finish working on our short stories. They were due for Loveless the following day and thankfully I was almost finished mine. At this point I just needed my friends to read over it with me to make sure it was good enough.

Amanda accompanied us as well and as we reached our destination of double doors that entered into the library, the short girl added her views into the conversation, "I don't really see what the point is of having a tournament here. I mean how are we really supposed to compete in it when we can't see?"

I shrugged before realizing Amanda couldn't see it and then replied, "I don't know but Mr. Neale probably has some reason for it. Now we're here so we must as well go inside and get our homework done before it's time for Choir practice."

The three of us entered the large expanse of space that was the school's Library. In the centre of it stretching all the way to the back of the large room were shelves full of books. A lot of them were regular books but there were also sections of large print and Braille books as well as the library having some books in an audio format. There were also tables and areas around the Library for studying but we were aiming for one of the rooms filled with computers off of the sides of the library.

We turned to our right upon entering the Library and went into what was known as the main computer lab. Inside the lab the computers were lined in rows against the walls and other kids from our residence were already typing away at some of them. We found three computers next to each other that no one was using so my friends and I sat down at the machines and got set up to do our homework.

Amanda was working on something else as she'd already finished Loveless' assignment and once I had my story up on the screen of the monitor Kathleen and I started reading it over. I looked over her shoulder as I allowed my friend to edit the story, watching as she made a few corrections. My spelling and grammar was usually pretty terrible but I was becoming better with it and I was surprised that Kathleen wasn't making nearly as many corrections as I thought she would.

Then my attention was diverted away from my story as I heard someone shout, "Damn it! I still can't come up with anything! I hate this stupid assignment!"

I glanced over in the direction of the shout and spotted the back of Kai's grey head. So I stood up from my seat and approached the older male.

"Hey Kai, what seems to be the problem?" I beamed at him and he spun around in his seat to glare in my direction.

"Oh it's just you, Cassie. Though it's not like my problem is any of your business," Kai replied, realizing it was me by recognizing my voice.

"Well maybe I can help," I insisted.

"Doubt it, I keep having issues with that Jaws thing and I can't come up with anything for Loveless' damn story I'm supposed to write," grunted Kai with an exasperated sigh.

"You do know that it's due tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah I know that but I suck at English and I keep drawing up blanks on the damn thing."

"Well why don't you come join my friends and me? They can usually be pretty good with these kinds of things and Amanda can probably help you out with Jaws too," I offered and extended a hand to the young man.

Kai raised an eyebrow in a, 'Why the hell should I' kind of fashion.

So I replied, "Fine, don't join us then. I'm sure that Loveless will be so thrilled that you didn't do the homework and that she will just be overjoyed to fail you."

My words hit home and the grey haired blader joined us though he appeared to be pretty reluctant about it.

As Kai plopped down at a computer next to Amanda, Kathleen looked up from my story she was editing and greeted, "Hi Kai what's up?"

Kai remained silent as he started up the computer.

So I answered, "Kai's having some problems with Jaws and he's having trouble coming up with a topic for the short story Loveless assigned to us."

Both girls were shocked and Kathleen wondered in disbelief, "You haven't started it yet?"

"No I suck at English and the stupid thing is so damn annoying. Though it's not like I can really try to start it when the damn computer won't co-operate," Kai grumbled irritably.

"I thought that you were doing okay with Jaws when I showed you how to use it last week? For now let's just forget the story. Why don't you tell us what it is you're trying to do and I'll see if I can help," Amanda replied brightly with a kind tone.

"Alright, I can't really understand English too well so I was trying to get that Jaws program and the computer to convert to Russian," Kai explained.

Kathleen butt in, "What do you mean you can't understand English? You speak it so well."

"So that doesn't mean I can read or write it. I was never taught that part of the language," Kai countered sounding as if he didn't really care for the question.

"Okay then, let me see if I can figure out how to convert it for you," my dark haired friend replied as she saved her homework and moved over to Kai's computer.

As Amanda played around with the program Kathleen and I went back to my story. After a while the blond girl backed away from the computer and I leaned forward to inspect it. My story looked pretty good and I approved of Kathleen's improvements. Just as I finished scanning over the edited story my watch began to beep.

I stopped the alarm and turned to Amanda as I wondered, "How's it going over there?"

"Good, I just finished changing the language and have shown Kai how to do it himself for next time," she replied.

"Nice and just in time for Choir too. It's almost 6:30 so we better get going," I stated as I saved my finished story and shut down the computer.

We rose from our chairs to leave and Kai growled at us, "Where do you think you're going? You're supposed to give me some ideas for this stupid story!"

"Sorry Kai, we've got to get going to Choir Practice. If you want to join us we could give you some suggestions on the way to the Music Wing," I suggested in response.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to join you and sing with a bunch of stupid kids. I've already explained that and my opinion still stands," Kai growled with crossed arms.

"We'll see you later then. Though if you're really struggling to come up with an idea here's a suggestion. Most people find that it helps to write about what you know. So try that and if you're still stuck than maybe you can talk to us after Choir but I hope that helps," Kathleen pointed out.

"Yeah, sorry that we can't help you out more. Good luck with the story, Kai," I encouraged as the three of us exited the computer lab and left the library.

**

* * *

**

End of Cassie's POV

For a while Kai just stared off into space, his unseeing crimson orbs fixated in the direction the girls had walked off in. The young man was lost in thought as he wondered what he should do.

_Hmm... write about what I know huh? Besides Beyblading the only thing that I really know about is all the stuff that's happened to me in my fucked up past and my childhood at the Abbey. Though I guess that could be something to write about. Even if the damn Abbey was destroyed and disbanded I could at least make the people who read my story aware of Voltaire and his insane quest for world domination._

Kai turned back around to his computer as he pondered how he would begin the story.

After a few minutes of thinking the grey haired young man finally decided, _If I'm actually going to write this then I guess I might as well start from the beginning with what happened to my parents and how it was that I wound up at Balkov Abbey in the first place._

Kai started typing and once he got going he found that the writing he'd so been dreading was surprisingly easy. The words that he came up with in his head managed to travel through his fingertips straight onto the computer in what seemed to be an endless flow. The crimson eyed young man went on typing out what had occurred in his past and as he worked away at the assignment Kai realized that he had lost track of time.

At some point while Kai had been typing one of the staff had come into the lab and addressed the young man, "Kai study hour is over. You can head back over to the residence now."

The blader glared at the spot where the staff member would be standing who he recognized to be Mr. Gall. Kai was annoyed that the man had the gall to distill the flow he had going as Kai hated to be disrupted.

So fuming with rage Kai growled at the man, "Why the hell would I leave when I've just gotten started? Besides I'm not even anywhere close to being done yet."

"Then you'll just have to finish your homework at Senior Residence. It's time to leave the Library," Gall replied and the young man heard the staff member leave the computer lab.

Kai guessed that the man was going to make sure that other students were finishing up their work too as the grey haired young man begrudgingly saved his work. He used a disk that Loveless had provided him with when he defiantly informed her that he couldn't do the stupid assignment because he had no means of storing it earlier that week. Once the story was saved Kai ejected the disk and stashed it away in his pocket. He then left the large room to make his trek back to the residence.

As he exited the building and the cool evening air hit his face Black Dranzer's voice popped up inside the Beyblader's head.

"_Well isn't this something? It seems to me that you're actually enjoying doing your homework. I never thought it could be possible,_" the dark bitbeast snickered.

"_Are you kidding me? I'm just trying to get this story done so Loveless won't fail me. Then I'll be able to be done with school and I can get a job and make enough money to finally make it back home to my friends,_" Kai retorted agitated by the bitbeast's remark.

"_If you say so but just like the fact that you want to take the Music class to skip History you secretly want this story of yours to turn out well enough that the world will learn of everything your evil grandfather has done,_" Black Dranzer stated, grinned in Kai's head.

"_Oh shut up! I'm not enjoying it and I just want to get this thing finished for class, end of discussion!_" Kai snapped as he entered the residence building and continued working on his story.

As the crimson eyed young man worked away- well into the night- Kai realized that there may be some truth to what the bitbeast had said. And Kai admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe there was more to his writing the story than wanting to receive a good mark on the assignment.

* * *

Kai awoke the next morning from yet another troubled sleep but like always his bad night was ignored as he trudged through a senseless morning of classes. On this particular morning the crimson eyed blader was extremely annoyed, pissed off much more than he usually was. Besides the bad mood his nightmares put him in Kai had been unable to finish the story for Loveless before the annoying staff had deemed that he was up too late and had sent him to his room. So by the time English class rolled around Kai was dreading Loveless' reaction but the stoic young man was determined to refuse the bitch of a teacher the satisfaction of knowing that he was worried about failing the course.

"_What's the matter Kai? It's just one assignment and at least you've made a good dent in it so it's not like the teacher can kill you that much,_" Black Dranzer stated as if he was attempting to reassure his master.

"_Yeah well from what I've heard and what I know about her, Loveless is going to fail me. And I was actually trying to get it done last night but at this rate it will be forever before I see Russia again,_" Kai sighed more to himself than to the bitbeast as he claimed a seat in the English teacher's classroom.

"You're late Mr. Hiwatari! Now hand in your homework like everyone else," Loveless demanded in an agitated tone of voice.

Kai sat in his seat assuming his trademark position.

Without even looking up or opening his crimson orbs the grey haired young man curtly replied, "I'm not finished it."

The annoying teacher approached Kai and loomed over him it seemed as she screeched, "What? I demand an explanation and to see your homework this instant!"

"I just told you I'm not done writing it yet so I don't have it. And even if my story were finished it's not like I would show it to you anyway as I doubt your damn thick skull full of bitchiness would be able to wrap itself around my story," Kai snapped in response to Loveless' shrill tone.

"Alright then, if you think that you can get lippy with me then you can get a zero."

"But I've actually been working on the story I just need some more time to complete it in," the young man protested.

"I don't care, if you need more time than you'll have to take it up with the Principal. All extensions for my assignments have to go through and must be approved by Mr. Neale first," the irritable woman huffed as she returned to the front of the classroom.

"Fine I'll just take it up with him then," Kai growled and he stormed from the classroom.

There were gasps of shock and disbelief that floated after him but Kai didn't really care as he marched down to the principal's office.

As Kai made his way through the halls and down the stairs Black Dranzer chuckled, "_This isn't like you. You're way too determined and worked up for this to just be about a stupid little assignment. You sure that your motivation for wanting time to finish the story isn't because you want the world to know about Biovolt and what's happened to you because of your grandfather?_"

"_No, now shut up and leave me alone! There's no way that I'd want to tell anyone about my fucked up life!_"

"_I can tell that you're lying, you know? I am a part of you now after all so don't that it's actually possible for you to fool me, Kai. As much as you try to fool and deny things to yourself I can see right through you and for the record if you're going to talk to the Principal you might want to cool down a little first,_" the bitbeast continued on cackling but Kai cut off the mental conversation as he'd had enough with the dark phoenix.

Kai was through putting up with its mocking words for the time being but the young man acknowledged that Black Dranzer had at least been right about one thing anyway. Kai needed to calm down if he was going to request being given an extension on his homework and as he reached the office the Beyblader inhaled a large intake of breath to cool himself down before knocking on the principal's door.

Kai was permitted entry and Mr. Neale greeted him in a friendly manner, "Good Morning Mr. Hiwatari, I assume that you've been notified that your text books have arrived."

"My text books are ready already?"

"Yes isn't that the reason why you've come to see me?" Mr. Neale wondered.

"No, I was having an argument with Loveless because I wasn't able to finish my homework on time. And she told me that if I wanted any kind of extension I would have to take it up with you first," Kai explained somewhat hurriedly as he wanted to get the whole stupid thing over and done with.

"I see, well I can give you an extension but if I do then I would like you to do something for me as well. How do you feel about this Beyblade Tournament of mine?"

"I find it utterly stupid and pointless and a complete waste of time. I have no clue what the hell you'd want to have blind kids try to Beyblade for and I don't like the idea of it one bit," Kai replied voicing his opinions.

"But you can do it, can't you?"

"Yes but I'm retired now and I'm an exception anyway. I've been Beyblading my entire life and I've been able to become accustomed to blading blind but there is no way that the kids here can ever hope to compare themselves to my standards. So it is highly unlikely that they would be able to manage and if they actually could they still wouldn't stand a chance."

"Oh well I'm sure knowing that they can have a chance to battle against you, a World Champion, will encourage many students to partake in the tournament," Mr. Neale stated and then something clicked inside Kai's head.

Kai glared at the principal as he interrogated the older man, "So that's your game. You ask me my opinion when it doesn't really matter what I think because that's the catch, isn't it? You want me to Beyblade and you'll only give me an extension on the story for Loveless if I agree to join this stupid tournament right?"

"Yes that's exactly correct. I see that you are really a rather intuitive young man. So do we have a deal?"

Kai thought of fucking Voltaire for a moment as this situation resembled something that the bastard would do but he really wanted to be able to rub receiving extra time in Loveless' face so he agreed to Neale's terms.

"Fine I'll sign up for this lousy tournament of yours. Though this seems like something fucking Biovolt would do, making a deal with me so I'll Beyblade and do what they want," Kai grumbled though the last part was barely audible and not meant for the principal to hear.

Luckily for Kai Mr. Neale hadn't seemed to have heard as he replied, "Good, you can have as much time as you need to finish your assignment. Now I'm sure that Mrs. Loveless would be happy if you ran along back to class and while we're at it you can take your English text up with you. I'll have someone deliver the rest of your books to your other classes," Neale insisted as he placed Kai's hand on a large pile of big books.

Kai hefted the pile of text books and was amazed that they were all for his English class.

Neale seemed to be a little concerned with the weight of the books as he wondered, "It requires a lot of volumes to convert a book into Braille format and it seems no different for the Russian language. Are you sure that you can handle carrying all of them?"

The books were a little heavy and almost like bricks to Kai but their weight was nothing the young man couldn't handle after years spent at the Abbey.

"Yeah it's no problem, I can carry them. What if Loveless doesn't believe me about the extension?"

"If Marie doesn't accept our agreement then tell her that she can discuss it with me, though I would rather not be disturbed by her. Now off to class," the man replied and Kai left the principal's office.

* * *

Kai carried his books with him up to the bitch's classroom and he mused, _So the bitch's first name is Marie? I'll have to remember to piss her off with that the next time she really gets under my skin. And of course it'll be so great to rub it in her face that Neale approved of my extension, though I really hate how he suckered me into Beyblading._

"_Hey what's with the moodiness? You don't have to be such a grouch about this, you know? Instead you should be welcoming the opportunity to blade and have the chance to test your skills since you've gone blind. I know I for one can't wait for this tournament and to demolish blades in a professional setting again,_" Black Dranzer cheerfully exclaimed, excited by the new opportunity.

"_Professional setting, ha! I don't see why you're so happy to be blading against just another bunch of rookie amateurs,_" Kai scoffed in response to the bitbeast's pleasure.

"_So, that still doesn't mean I can't enjoy slaughtering them and shredding their Beyblades into millions of tiny pieces. Oh it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I can't wait! I get to battle and kill again! I get to battle and kill again..._" Black Dranzer went on, chanting with glee inside Kai's head.

The young man had made it back to Loveless' classroom as the dark phoenix's happy chant began to piss him off and by that point he had become enraged by the commotion the insufferable bitbeast was making inside his head.

"_Shut the fuck up you damn fucking bird brain! You may get to blade in this damned tournament but you are my bitbeast and under my control and there is no fucking way in hell that I'm going to lose control of your blasted power and allow you to run wild to do whatever you want! Do you hear me?_" Kai shouted the thoughts and at that moment he dramatically slammed the weight of his books down onto the desk in front of him.

The enormous thudding sound both finally shut the annoying phoenix up and created an eerie sensation where the young man could feel all the eyes in the room on him. Kai hated the feeling and growled his indignation as he unleashed one of his coldest and deadliest Hiwatari glares in a way that it was like he was throwing daggers from his unemotional crimson orbs.

Then as Kai sat down the grey haired young man heard Loveless' shrill voice tssk and scold him, "Oh it's just you. How dare you think that you can storm out of my classroom. And to have the nerve to walk out on me when I wasn't even finished with speaking to you! I should give you a detention!"

"Whatever, it's not like I care. I got Neale's permission and he said that I could take as much time as I want so whatever you plan on doing doesn't really matter to me. And if you don't believe me you can just go ahead and ask him for yourself," the Beyblader grinned and resumed his usual position, just to spite the bitchy evil witch of a teacher.

"Then I'll just have to do that you smug little mouthy demon boy," Loveless huffed and she stomped off to a smaller room at the back of the classroom.

"_What the hell is that bitch doing?_" Kai was curious to know but there was no reply as it seemed that Black Dranzer was angered with his master.

Kai sighed at this but his question was soon answered as after a moment the blader heard someone dialing a phone. So Kai decided that Loveless must be giving Neale a call rather than going all the way down to his office. Even though the bitch was in a different room Kai's hearing was far better developed than it used to be and he was able to pick up Loveless' end of the conversation.

"Sir one of my students claims to have talked to you about a homework extension but I believe that he is lying... But how could you actually agree to the request from such a troublemaker? Yes, I see sir... Of course I understand... I'm sorry for disturbing you, it won't happen again sir," Loveless stuttered on the phone and the woman then walked back to the front of the classroom.

Kai smirked, "I told you so."

"That's enough smugness and attitude out of you! I see that you have your text book, open it and pay attention for once," the teacher snapped in a flustered tone.

Soon after, the bell rang and Kai was finally free of the annoying bitch for the day. As the young man threw his stack of books into his locker, Kai grinned to himself. He was proud for his victory over the insufferable bitch of a teacher even if it had come at a bit of a price.

It seemed like Kai's grin had been noticed as a female voice wondered, "Well aren't you in a good mood?"

"Hi Cassie, I'm just liking the fact that I was able to win this round against the bitch," Kai replied as he realized the speaker was only Ray's sister.

"Yeah good job with that, it was great. I see that you've gotten your text books though I'm surprised by how fast Neale was able to get them in. Do you still want help with learning Braille?"

"I guess so, there's something that I wanted to talk to you about anyway," Kai replied, he didn't like the idea of having to rely on the girl's help again but he decided that he wouldn't feel comfortable if it was someone else teaching him.

"Alright then, meet me in the library at lunch time and we can get started," the girl enthusiastically said.

Kai nodded and left for the remainder of his boring classes.

* * *

The morning wore on and the crimson eyed young man soon found himself in the boring presence of Mr. Bernard. The dull teacher droned on about something to do with history that Kai was completely uninterested in. In a matter of minutes the lids over the young man's crimson orbs began to droop and Kai rested his head on his crossed arms. But before Kai could allow the blanket of sleep to embrace him Bernard's voice penetrated through Kai's drowsiness.

"Mr. Hiwatari stay awake in my class and pay attention. History is a very important subject."

"Hn," Kai grunted unhappy with being woken up and brought back to boring reality.

_Damn I hate this stupid, dull, boring class. If only there was a way I could get out of it! Wait a minute... I can get out of class, I don't have to take this bullshit, _Kai thought and it struck him that he had a valid reason to dismiss himself from the insignificant torturous class.

He rose from his seat and Bernard inquired, "Hey babe, where do you think you're going?"

"Hate to break it to you Bernard but I've got Music class with Boyd right now," the young man stated with a smirk.

"Since when do you take Music lessons?"

"Since yesterday when Boyd asked me to and this is the time that he picked."

"How do I know that you're not just trying to get out of my class again?"

"For one thing if I really wanted to skip I wouldn't have shown up in the first place and for another Boyd's going to be wondering why I'm late," Kai remarked under his breath.

"I don't know about this... Can anyone vouch for your claims?"

Kai heard Ray's twin speak up from next to him in his defense, "It's true that Mr. Boyd was talking to him about taking lessons. Kai mentioned it to me yesterday after lunch."

"Alright you can go then but I'm going to have a word with Mr. Boyd later to make sure that you actually went to see him," Bernard submitted and he went back to his teaching.

Kai shrugged and left, heading down the stairs on his way to the Music Wing. Kai reached Boyd's office and leaned against the door frame.

"That spot for lessons still open?" The young man inquired appearing to catch the Music teacher's attention.

"Oh hello Kai, come on in. I'm glad to see that you've thought about our discussion," Boyd greeted as he ushered Kai into the room.

"Yeah well I just really couldn't stand damn history class," stated the young man as he prepared himself for what the music teacher was going to put him through.

"_Lighten up, it's not like it's going to be so bad,_" Black Dranzer chuckled.

"_Wow you're actually speaking to me again?_"

"_Well you just seemed so anxious about this that I couldn't resist making a comment. I find it so amusing how you're actually going through with this Music thing and can't wait to see what enjoyable torture this guy is going to put you through,_" the dark phoenix mocked as if it was back to its normal cynical self.

Kai was about to reply when Boyd's voice broke in interrupting the conversation.

"Well let's get started and see what you know as well as how good you are at singing by testing your voice with some scales," Mr. Boyd declared and he started with the Music lesson.

* * *

Lunchtime eventually came and Cassie was at the Library awaiting Kai's arrival. She was sitting at one of the tables in the centre of the large room when her blond haired friend, Kathleen, approached her.

"Hi Cass, what are you doing?"

"Nothing really Kakky," the girl responded using a nickname she had invented for Kathleen, "I'm just waiting for Kai to get here so I can help him out with some Braille."

"I'm surprised that he'd ask you to help when there's people around here who know way more about Braille than you do, no offense," Kathleen speculated.

"None taken and he didn't ask me I offered and he accepted it. Though I was surprised by it too as according to Ray his captain only accepts help from those he trusts."

"Well I guess that your brother would know if he used to be on a team with the guy. But you've been around Kai a lot and have been living with him for a while, What do you think of him? Do you think that Kai will join this tournament thing?"

"No, I already asked him and he seemed really against the idea of it. As for what I think of Kai... he's cold and pretty quiet but I think that I've been getting him to start to warm up to me," Cassie replied to her friend's questions.

Kathleen grinned, "Oh I see, you've got a crush on the guy so you're hoping that he'll open up more to you."

Cassie's cheeks turned a bright pink as she could feel the heat of a blush coming on and she exclaimed, "I do not have a crush on Kai, Kakky! But speaking of Kai you should go before he shows up. I doubt he'd want you around while I'm helping him. From what Ray says and what I know about Kai myself he strikes me as the type of guy who doesn't like people knowing about his weaknesses."

"Okay I'll see you in class then. Have fun with your alone time with Kai," the blond girl teased, walking away from Cassie as she giggled.

_Stupid Kathleen, thinking that I like Kai, _Cassie fumed as she attempted to regain her composure before the crimson eyed young man showed up.

The girl didn't want her twin's old captain to catch her blushing even if he couldn't see it. Luckily Cassie managed to get herself back under control just as Kai entered the library and she called him over to where she was sitting.

"Hey over here, Kai! You ready to get to work?"

Cassie's companion looked wary as he wondered in response, "I don't know, this place feels far too open for my liking. Is there anywhere more secluded where we can do this?"

"Yeah, we can go to work at one of the tables in the back of the library. People don't usually go back there so it should be perfect for you," Cassie replied and she instinctively grasped Kai's hand.

"Let go, I can find the table on my own," he grumbled at the contact.

_As usual he's being as stubborn as always, _Cassie thought to herself as she ignored Kai's complaints and led him to a spot near the back of the library.

It was quiet and secluded like Cassie had mentioned and the two of them settled down at a table that was boxed in by shelves of books, closing the space off from the rest of the room. Kai let out a sigh of contentment that signaled to Cassie he was satisfied with the change of location.

So Cassie beamed, "Well we might as well get started with the basics and look at the Alphabet. Though I'm not really too sure on what the Russian Alphabet is so you'll probably have to help me out with that part."

"Fine by me, it's not like I really wanted your charity anyway. So you teach me how to read and write Braille and in return I'll teach you my native language," Kai replied.

"But isn't Hiwatari a Japanese name?"

"Yeah it is and though I lived in Japan for a time I was born and raised in Russia," Kai stated and Cassie accepted his answer.

The girl decided that it would probably be best if she didn't push Kai about his past as from the last couple weeks she had spent with him and information Ray had given her it seemed to be a touchy subject for Kai. So they started going over the Alphabet and the Braille that corresponded with it and after a while of working at it Cassie remembered something.

The girl asked, "Kai, wasn't there something else that you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. You can go ahead and sign me up for that Beyblade Tournament," the young man replied, continuing to go over bumps of Braille with his fingertips.

"Are you sure, I thought that you didn't want to Beyblade in it?"

"Well I guess I just changed my mind."

"Okay then, if you say so. You just seem to be acting strange today if you ask me. I mean just out of the blue first you go to Music and now this. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

Cassie inquired and she reached out to touch Kai's forehead but he cringed away from her seeming to anticipate her movement.

"Yes I'm fine and no one was asking you! I'm done with this for now so I'll see you later," Kai snapped and he stomped off from the library.

Cassie was a little dumbfounded as she watched after Kai's retreating form.

Then the bell rang to begin the afternoon's classes and as Cassie went to leave herself the girl thought, _That was unexpected. Sure it'll be a good thing to have Kai Beyblade in the tournament but it's so strange how he just agreed to it so suddenly when he was so against it before. I wonder what's up with him and what's going through his head? Well I guess I'll just have to ask Kai about it later... that is if he'll talk to me about it. Though I'd have to say that there's something more to this than Kai just changing his mind. I know that it's only been a short while that I've known him but it just doesn't seem like Kai to have such a sudden change of heart. Especially with something that he seemed to feel so strongly against._

* * *

I'm sorry that this took me so long to update but it's finally done so there you guys go. I hope that you enjoyed it and I might give some cookies if anyone can guess where this is heading. Let me know what you think of the chapter as reviews always inspire me and thanks to everyone who's been reviewing and reading the fic.


	10. Memories of Home

Hey guys sorry that this took me a while but it turned out to be a very long chapter. I won't bore you all today I'm just going to say that I hope you like the chapter, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Memories of Home**

Three weeks had passed since Mr. Neale had convinced Kai to participate in the Beyblade Tournament. Now with the upcoming tournament only a week away the Principal had been summoned to Fort Erie for a special meeting with the older man who he was working for. Mr. Neale was under the impression that the man in charge of everything behind the Biovolt Corporation wished to discuss matters regarding the tournament as well as Mr. Hiwatari most likely requesting a full report on his Grandson's progress.

Once he had arrived at the Fort the Principal looked up to observe the old ancient looking building that was the new location for Biovolt's Headquarters. Mr. Neale entered the Fort and found that its interior resembled that of any other Historic complex. The building contained displays that detailed the History of the place and other similar things for tourists. The Principal was surprised that the place where his boss lived would be so open as he made his way to where he guessed the man's office would be.

Mr. Neale briskly walked down the historian oriented halls to make his appointment and as he went Mr. Neale came across people working around the building who would chance quick glances at him now and then. The people were custodians and the like who paid the professional looking man little attention as they resumed their various tasks and the Principal passed on.

Eventually M. Neale reached the heart of the Fort where the man discovered a small office that was open and brightly lit. Peering in through the doorway Mr. Neale observed a redheaded man wearing a white lab coat. The man was mulling over a mess of papers that littered a desk which stood before him.

From his spot at the door Mr. Neale cleared his throat and made his pressence known, "Excuse me?"

The man at the desk glanced up from his paperwork and finally noticing that he had a visitor he sweetly greeted, "Good afternoon, I am Dr. Gavril Ivanov and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. How may I assist you today?"

"My name is Don Neale and I am looking for the man who is in charge of this fine establishment," the Principal introduced himself in a formal manner.

"Ah, you must be the Principal from the blind school who our Lord has summoned here then? I apologize for the mess, I've just been busy trying to go over the research that was managed to be salvaged from my predecessor's work," the redheaded man, Dr. Ivanov, replied sounding weary.

"Not a problem, I know how stressful riffling through a bunch of paperwork can be. I assume that you are to lead me to where I can meet with Mr. Hiwatari?"

"Yes, as I believe that he should be expecting you," Dr. Ivanov stated as he rose from his desk and moved to close the door to his office. He then locked the door from inside and ordered, "Follow me and I'd advise you not to say anything until we've made it down into the lower levels. Some people who could be listening may not be loyal to us and one can never be too careful."

Mr. Neale was led over to another door in the room that was hidden at the back of the office. A door that the Principal hadn't noticed until he was being escorted through it by his guide. The door opened onto a long and narrow hallway that ended at what appeared to be quite a long flight of winding stairs. The stairs descended down into the darkness of the earth beneath the Fort and occasionally the two men passed by hallways that branched off from the staircase.

Dr. Ivanov continued on walking down and Mr. Neale diligently followed as the other floors of the complex were ignored. They descended until they reached the very bottom of the underground levels. Once they reached the final landing Dr. Ivanov proceeded to direct the Principal through a series of halls and tunnels that curved and twisted around like a large elaborate maze.

Mr. Neale looked around him at the stone halls and as he walked through the underground section of the Fort he exclaimed in awe, "This place is incredible!"

"Yes, we discovered this underground facility some time ago. I believe that this secret part of the complex was built to train the military for warfare when Fort Erie was first established. So of course this place appeared to be the perfect, ideal new base for Biovolt. The Company was moved here to regroup after the treachery and destruction caused by a few rebellious, emotional children," Dr. Ivanov explained and his voice changed to a tone of bitterness and loathing as he stated that last part about children.

Mr. Neale let the change in the man's tone slide as he wondered, "I see, so if this is the real base then what was all that I saw on the main floor when I entered the Fort?"

"The upstairs is merely a front that is kept, in the case that our enemy becomes too suspicious. Those who work in the historic, museum like part of the building are unaware of Biovolt's dealings and under my jurisdiction. Down here beneath the earth, I am the Head Scientist and the people here are all loyal followers. Everything that is done in this hidden facility is accoding to Lord Voltaire's orders and transpires under his survellance," Dr. Ivanov informed the Principal, detailing the base's hierarchy.

"That sounds to me like a lot of work for one man to handle."

"Well I am Lord Voltaire's second in command. Though my predecessor Boris Balkov was far better with the position than I am. As I have seen by his research he has accomplished much in the years that he was alive and has made many brilliant scientific breakthroughs. But enough of that, it is unnecessary for you to know of Biovolt's History. If Lord Voltaire deems you worthy of the knowledge then he can discuss it with you himself. As all you are really here to do is to make the acquaintance of the extraordinary man who is in charge here and to provide us with information."

"Yes of course," the Principal responded and then inquired, "I take it that this is the facility where Lord Hiwatari will commence the training of the soldiers that we gather, so he can put his plans into action?"

"That's correct and it is your job to recruit those soldiers," replied the Head Scientist.

"Well that is the plan with this Beyblade Tournament we have scheduled for the following week. Hopefully it will turn out some skilled Beybladers that we can convince to make an allegiance with us and have them become loyal followers to Biovolt's side in all of this."

"Yes and once this tournament is all said and done as well as having new recruits to join our ranks, Lord Voltaire can finally drag his troublesome Grandson back here. Lord Voltaire is very set upon getting that boy back in line and once he has reclaimed the little runaway that boy can be properly forced to learn his place_," _Dr. Ivanov stated dryly as the two men at last reached a set of double doors in the midst of the Fort's dark depths. "Well here we are, Lord Voltaire's office. I have to be returning to my work now but I hope that your meeting goes smoothly."

The redheaded scientist strolled away though the halls leaving Mr. Neale alone to stare at the important looking room that loomed ominously before him. The Principal stood there for a moment as he knocked on the door with a shaky hand, in fact his entire body was shaking violently as the huge double doors swung open.

* * *

Don Neale was actually quite nervous to be meeting the powerful man who was his new superior face to face. But he swallowed down this nervousness and stepped within the office anyway as he knew that the older man would be expecting him. Once within the well furnished and typically decorated office Mr. Neale inspected the room that surrounded him.

The large, spacious office received the Principal's approval as it resembled that of any other expensive looking, elegant offices he had observed the interior of. Then as his gaze swept around the room his eyes fell on him, the elderly man who was his boss, Lord Voltaire Hiwatari.

Lord Hiwatari lounged in an elegant high backed chair that appeared to be extremely comfortable, stationed behind a large well polished mahogany desk. There was a smaller chair positioned at the side of the desk facing the door and Mr. Neale's boss beckoned for him to take the seat. Mr. Neale sank into the plush chair and waited to be addressed by his superior.

Lord Hiwatari sipped a long draught of wine from a goblet before him and as he set the glass back down the regal highly important looking man spoke in his deep voice, "It is good to see you, Don. Now why don't we get started and get right down to business. How is our tournament proceeding at that school of yours?"

"The preparations for the tournament has gone rather well. Many students have registered and I'm sure that even more people around the city will come to witness its spectacle," Mr. Neale answeed.

"Excellent! Will you be ready to proceed on schedule then?"

"Yes, Mr. Hiwatari sir. The tournament can begin next Monday as agreed, I am just trying to sort out some of the fundamentals of some of the rules and regulations within this sport," the younger man admitted.

"Then it is beneficial that we are meeting as I can assist you with that. Now usually a Beyblade Tournament consists of teams but for our purposes in seeking out new recruits single one on one elimination style battles should suffice. The Tournament should also consist of preliminary rounds to weed out all the weaklings until the Beybladers are narrowed down enough to begin a Quarter Final. After that you would hold the Semi Finals and then the Final battle which I shall come to judge myself. You will also need a suitable location to hold the Tournament," Mr. Hiwatari explained as he listed off requirements for the sport.

"The school's gymnasium should be a sufficient setting, many of the school's spots and tournaments are held there. The gymnasium can also be divided in half so we could have two battles going on at the same time. With double the battles we can halve the time the tournament will transpire in," Mr. Neale interjected expressing his ideas on how the space could be used to their advantage.

"That would be perfect! At such a fast rate the Preliminary matches can be concluded in a single week and the week after next we can proceed to the Final rounds and wrap the Tournament up within a mere two weeks. And the world will be that much closer to bowing down under my control," Mr. Hiwatari gloated an evil grin crossing his face at the sound of this prospect.

"Then I shall announce these details as the rules for the Tournament and keep you posted on the standings of the rounds and the skills of the participants," the Principal stated awaiting his superior's approval.

"Yes that is very good. Proceed in doing so and notify me if there is anyone who appears to have managed to stand a good chance against my Grandson. Anyone who could stand there own against Kai would make an excellent addition to Biovolt's army. And speaking of the boy how is my little Grandson fairing with adapting himself to your school and the transition of losing his sight?"

"He appears to be fairing rather well and though he is rather rebellious to his schooling he is still making excellent progress," Mr. Neale replied.

"That is very good news. I am glad to hear that this little imperfection has not hindered his skills and abilities," Mr. Hiwatari stated with a pleased tone before inquiring with more seriousness, "Have you managed to get my Grandson on board for this Tournament?"

"Yes I have actually, he requested extra time to do some homework and I struck a deal with him to make him agree to competing. Though your Grandson appears to be quite suspicious as he believes there is something up behind this tournament," Mr. Neale stated with a quiver in his voice, fearing the reaction his superior would give to the information.

"And how the hell would he be suspicious of it?"

"Well... uh... he seemed to think that the deal I made with him was similar to something that Biovolt would do to force him to Beyblade and he believes that having blind kids blading is stupid and a waste of time. With how perceptive and intuitive your Grandson appears I would also guess that Kai probably assumes that there are other motives behind this Tournament," the Principal spoke explaining his theories while attempting to hide even more fear.

Voltaire Hiwatari appeared angry with the other man as he growled, "If it weren't for the fact that I need you to pull off this scheme I'd dispose of you right now! But there is no reason that I can see to not punish you for this!"

"But sir... you said that I had to make sure he joined the tournament and this seemed to be the only way-"

"Silence! I know what I said and when I gave you that order I meant for you to do it without the expense of Kai suspecting there is more to this tournament than meets the eye or that he runs away from the trap!" Mr. Hiwatari bellowed as the man behind the desk boiled with rage.

"Please don't hurt me, My Lord," groveled Mr. Neale under the old crimson eyed man's wrath.

"Give me one good reason why I should spare you? Kai is a crucial part of my plans and he must be at my side for this whole plot of mine to work. The boy blading will help to accomplish this and he must not realize what is truly going on until it is far too late. Kai is the most powerful Beyblader in the world and I need him. If you have jeopardized my chances at reclaiming and controlling him there will be dire consequences! Do you understand me?"

Mr. Neale noted a haunting and intimidating look to his Master's cold dark gaze and the younger man spluttered, "Yes sir. I'll make it up to you. I... I know where your Grandson is hiding when he goes away from the school for the weekends."

Mr. Neale's words had grasped his boss' interest as Mr. Hiwatari demanded, "And where might that be?"

"He is staying at an apartment building in the city of St. Catharines that is not too far from here, maybe an hour or two drive away. I can provide you with the address if you would like?"

Mr. Hiwatari looked thrilled and he appeared to return to his calculating business like manner as he calmly replied, "Yes that would be appreciated. I would want to have the place watched in case Kai tries to escape me again and returns there for refuge. Now that is all Don, you are dismissed! So get out of my sight!"

Mr. Neale quickly scribbled down the address of where Lord Hiwatari's Grandson was staying and then hurried from the large office. Now that the Principal had actually met with the powerful man Mr. Neale was petrified of the things that Voltaire Hiwatari would do to the poor person that incurred the full extent of the old man's wrath. Though he was glad to be on the same side as this great yet terrible ally Mr. Neale did not wish to be the one on the receiving end of his relentless anger. So Don Neale fled from the office and left the base through the way that the Head Scientist had led him as the Principal wisely did not want to provide his superior with another reason to wish to try and kill him.

* * *

In the past few weeks Kai had been kept extremely busy. His time was being almost taken up by writing his story, learning Braille, Music practice, and Beyblade training to prepare himself for the upcoming tournament. As the days the young man spent at the school picked up Kai found himself diligently working to persevere through the goals he strived to accomplish outside of school hours. Of course the classes remained as boring as hell but they didn't really faze him anymore as Kai's main focus was on the completion of his story.

This day- like most others- Kai was hiding away in the Library during his lunch hour break. It seemed to the crimson eyed young man to possess enough solitude for him and he usually resided there in the quiet. If it wasn't the story he worked on, Kai was there learning with Cassie as the two of them taught each other what they knew. Though this time Kai's fingers were flying over the keyboard of a computer as he typed away to tell the world of the events that had occurred in his past.

The grey haired young man was almost at the end of his story and he'd skipped most of his morning classes as well as working straight through lunch to satisfy his burning desire of finishing the thing. He was fueled by a raw determination to finally accomplish the goal as he pressed his whirring mind to continue. The story was beginning to wrap itself up and Kai was relieved that no one had disturbed him. Even Black Dranzer remained silent in Kai's head, the bitbeast thankfully picking up on the notion that Kai would not tolerate its distraction. But the quiet working environment was disrupted.

Kai nearly jumped from his seat as a voice startled him, "I thought that I would find you here and don't you look focused? How's the story coming?"

Kai didn't really care who the person was as he was annoyed by the distraction and growled, "Can't talk on a roll."

"Well you could at least say hello."

"Hello, can't talk on a roll."

"Okay then, so much for working at some Braille today. I guess that I'll just check my email instead," the person mumbled on and though he was only half listening with the mention of Braille he decided that the newcomer must be Cassie.

The time passed and Kai was pulled back into the creative flow of the writing. After a while the young man saved his hard work and slumped back into the chair he sat in.

He breathed out a content sigh and with a smirk of triumph Kai stated, "And I'm finally finished my story."

"Cool, maybe I can take a look at it for you sometime to see how good it is," the girl offered and Kai heard her perch herself on a chair next to him.

"Maybe, though it kind of turned more into a novel than a short story but oh well," the young man replied with a shrug.

The girl who was Ray's twin sister let out a fit of laughter, "Nice, I did something like that once when I was back in Grade Seven. I don't think that my teacher ever liked the fact that I never finished it."

"Whatever, we can look at some Braille now if you want."

"Alright, let's get to it then!"

Kai removed his disk and secured it safely in his pocket before shutting down the computer. Exiting the computer lab the young man walked with Ray's twin over to their usual study spot, at the table hidden near the back of the library. Once at the table Kai pulled out a random text book.

He flipped it open and moved his fingers along the Braille text as he hesitantly read, "Грамматика и структура предложения важны для письма, потому что они - критические компоненты, что ... вносят свой вклад в поток работы автора."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Grammar and sentence structure are important to writing because they are crucial components that... contribute to the flow of an author's work," Kai replied as he translated the sentence.

"Oh okay, well it sounds like that's right. I think that you're improving at reading Braille."

"Yeah I guess so but your Russian could still use some work," stated the young man.

"Well teach away then."

So they switched the subject to Russian and swapped roles as Kai talked the girl through some important phrases that he knew. Over the past few weeks they had been working together Cassie seemed to have mastered the basics. So Kai was now pacing his pupil though some of the more advanced language. Like him she appeared to be a fast learner.

The girl was starting to get the hang of that day's lesson when they were interrupted by someone cackling in a mocking tone of voice. "Well, well, look what we have here? A couple of lovebirds secretly enjoying themselves and doing stuff at the back of the library!"

Kai growled at the insensitive smug male that could only be Courtney, "We aren't doing anything like that you perverted asshole! Now you better shut the hell up and get lost if you know what's good for you!"

"There's no use in hiding it, plenty of guys have come back here for a little bit of fun at some point. I've even come here myself a couple of times with a pretty girl or two," the asshole rambled on.

"I thought I told you to shut up! I unlike you have some pride and dignity and we're not doing what you're disgusting mind is thinking. So get your fucking head out of the damn gutter, we're just studying," the crimson eyed young man bore his intimidating dark gaze in Courtney's direction. The Beyblader was clearly annoyed as his rage boiled up inside of him.

"_Kai let me at this stupid kid! He's so annoying and he's getting on my nerves with his insufferable stupidity. His fooling around and perverted sex driven womanizing is low and uncalled for even by my standards. I need to teach him a lesson," _Black Dranzer whined in Kai's head, the bitbeast burning to unleash his power and teach the intollerable boy some manners.

The Beyblader knew that Courtney was an arrogant, pompous asshole but if his words even had the dark phoenix riled up and wanting to kill him then the younger boy's remarks must have become extremely offensive.

Kai was about to respond to the bitbeast when Courtney went on with his taunting insults and scoffed, "Yeah sure you are that's a real nice cover up, pretending to study to fool anyone who catches you playing around. I don't blame you for wanting to hide your relationship but you shouldn't feel ashamed for having the urge to mess around with her. Kon's a hot girl and I'd even do her myself if she wasn't so busy with you here."

Kai was enraged now that the little bastard could stoop to saying something so low. The young man was about to yell his head off at Courtney for such vile ideas but Ray's sister beat him to it.

"Listen here you little... maggot! There is no way I would let you anywhere near enough to try doing something like that to me, not even if you were the last guy on Earth! We really are only studying and Kai and I are just friends. Now leave us alone before I try to kill you myself! And trust me if I have my way you will die a very slow and painful death!"

"Fine I'll leave you two lovers alone to your fun, for now. I can tell that I was intercepting something and know when I'm not wanted," Courtney laughed out one final insult before Kai heard the asshole's footsteps finally walking away.

Kai was fuming now from the nauseating words. With Cassie's dark malicious tone of voice and her sinister mutterings about how she would plot the boy's demise, Kai knew that she was just as ticked off by the whole thing as he was, if not more.

Though Kai was preoccupied from the girl's murderous schemes as Black Dranzer was again whining in the young man's head, "_Come on Kai just let me at him already!_"

"_Tell you what if we meet the insufferable asshole in the tournament you can have your fun and do whatever you want to him, I don't care._"

"_Really?_"

"_Yeah, I want to kill him too._"

Black Dranzer seemed to light up with glee at Kai's permission and the bitbeast joined Cassie in plotting Courtney's death. The dark phoenix mulled over the best course of action to inflict the maximum amount of suffering on the ass of a boy.

"Hey I know what that guy said was completely uncalled for but you shouldn't let him get to you. Making you so mad is just what stupid snobbish bullies like him want. You're only giving him pleasure by this, you know," Kai interjected attempting to reassure the fuming girl once he had regained his emotionless calm demeanour.

"Yeah so what? I hate Courtney, he just makes me so mad! That damn boy is such a... a..." Cassie paused in her rant as she appeared to be searching for the right words to express her anguish.

"Such a pompous bastard," Kai finished for her, "I know I hate him too and I've only just met the guy about a month ago. Now don't let him get to you, that's only going to satisfy the bastard."

"I know and I guess you're right," Cassie subsided after a while.

"So you're going to calm down then?"

"Yeah I guess but I'm still going to plot his slow and painful death," the girl replied in that dark and sinister tone of hers.

"Whatever, you do that. Should we get back to studying?"

"No, stupid Courtney kind of ruined that and I think the bell is probably going to go off soon anyway," Cassie replied and right on cue the loud ringing was heard through the school.

"Nice timing, guess I'll see you later," Kai remarked as he rose to make his departure from the room.

"Yeah and you do know it's Tuesday right? Think that we will see you at Choir tonight?"

"If I decide to go," Kai replied stopping for a minute and turning around to answer his old teammates sister.

"But you should even if you've only been taking Music lessons for a few weeks. I don't think that Mr. Boyd will be very pleased if you decide not to show up again."

"Whatever, enough about Boyd. You know we have to find a new place to work now after that thing used this spot for his own personal pleasures right?"

"I know, just come to Choir for once, okay?"

"We'll see, see you later," the young man replied as he pivioted around on his heel and Kai began to walk away from the table.

"Bye!"

Kai heard Cassie's voice call off after him and he left the library with his trademark white scarf trailing behind him.

* * *

Despite the warning from Cassie, Kai neglected to heed her words and he skipped Choir practice. The young man found the practice a waste of time and he was absolutely opposed to singing with others. Kai would rather willingly return to the abbey and his grandfather than allow a bunch of stupid people he didn't trust to hear him sing. Besides he was far too busy training to waste any of his precious time anyway.

With the tournament only less than a week away his skills had to be up to par and Kai pushed his strength to be at its peak. Kai's Beyblading had to be perfect if he was serious about competing so he could kick a bunch of weakling asses.

The Beyblader thought about his solitary training and the surprise he felt at having been left alone to do so as he strolled down to the music wing the following day. He really didn't care about what Boyd's reaction would be as Beyblading was far more important to him. Despite the fact that he had been retired throughout the time he had been dead as well as being annoyed by Black Dranzer to no end the sport still remained a major part of his life and it was one of the few things that he knew.

Kai entered Boyd's room and leaned against the counter by the door as he waited to be bombarded by an anticipated lecture.

As he leaned there in his usual position Black Dranzer commented in the young man's head, "_He looks cross, I think he's upset with you for skipping practice._"

Kai merely shrugged off the remark and it wasn't long after the dark phoenix spoke that the music teacher addressed the Beyblader.

In an upset and almost disappointed sounding tone the teacher inquired, "Mr. Hiwatari why must you keep skipping Choir practice?"

As it seemed that the bitbeast had been correct about Boyd's mood Kai was surprised that the man refrained from yelling at him outright to express his feelings. Though he really shouldn't have been all that surprised as in the few weeks that Kai had gotten to know Mr. Boyd he appeared to be a fairly decent man. The music teacher was completely different from the crazed adults Kai had encountered and come to know throughout his painful childhood. To Kai it was almost as if Mr. Boyd actually cared about him and deep down the crimson eyed young man hoped that he did.

Kai was slowly beginning to trust his music teacher but that didn't change how Boyd's caring and understanding nature baffled the young man. He still needed to get used to Boyd's ways as anyone Kai knew more than a couple years older than himself would hurt and punish him for everything that he did wrong. That was how Kai's life was but Mr. Boyd was different. So though Kai trusted the man he was still unsure what to make of the kindness that Mr. Boyd showed him.

It took a minute for Kai to force down the surprise from his mind as he searched for an answer but after a moment the grey haired young man stated, "I was training for the tournament last night and working on this story for Loveless the past few weeks."

"Really, well maybe if I move the practice for your singing lessons back to just before Choir that will solve the problem. As that way I can keep an eye on you and make sure that you don't leave between practices," Mr. Boyd decided in a strained sounding voice.

Kai rolled his crimson eyes, "Whatever."

"I'm also curious to know what this story of yours is about and how it is so important that it is making you miss practices."

Kai hesitated for a moment as he did not wish to discuss his story, before bluntly responding, "None of your business! Now can we just get on with this lesson already?"

"Alright though why don't you sit down? There's something I want to discuss with you first."

Kai perched himself up onto the counter as he waited for Boyd to inform him about whatever it was that was on the teacher's mind.

Mr. Boyd seemed to catch the hint that Kai was listening as the older man began, "As I have said before you are a very talented young man and an excellent singer. I believe that you are even good enough to perform. We have this concert at lunch hour now and then to showcase the progress student's have been making. I think that you would be perfect for the noon hour concert that is coming up in a couple of weeks and with your voice I could see you doing extremely well with a duet."

Kai glared towards the man as he growled, "Are you kidding me? If I won't sing in a large group what the hell makes you think that I'll do it with another person and in front of a large audience to hear me no less?"

"Well I believed that you would rather have someone singing alongside you for support instead of having to perform in front of an audience alone. I felt that this could be a good experience for you and I have already scheduled for you to meet your partner during next week's lesson. She is working with one of the other Music teachers and is a very nice girl so I figured that the two of you could work well together and get along," Mr. Boyd informed the young man who was his pupil.

**

* * *

**

Kai's POV

_Damn him, it seems like he's had this all planned out with no way for me to try to get out of it. Still there's no way I'm going to perform in front of people. I won't do it! Wait... did he just say that I have to sing with a girl?_ I thought as my teacher went on about the stupid task that he wanted me to do.

I continued to glare in his direction and as it finally dawned on me what Boyd was saying I could feel a flash of sorrow enter me as I thought of Bree. My mind reverted back to that day I had sung for her to express my feelings- something I obviously didn't do often- for the one I loved in hopes that she would forgive me for everything I had done.

I was broken from my memories as I heard Mr. Boyd wonder, "Are you alright, Kai? What's the matter?"

He must have noticed the way I was feeling through a look in my eyes or something as he sounded genuinely concerned.

I don't know why but I actually answered his question, "I was just thinking about something in my past. The last time I actually sang it was in front of this girl I know. We weren't on very good speaking terms then and I desperately wanted her to forgive me for something really terrible I had done when I was a child. So to emphasize how sorry I really was I sang a song for her to express the way that I felt."

I heard Mr. Boyd get up from the spot where he sat and close the door to the room before asking me, "What happened between the two of you?"

"I... I don't want to talk about it," I muttered out and glanced down towards the ground as I didn't want my teacher to notice the pain that I was feeling. I guess that I must have still felt ashamed for what happened on that fateful day in the abbey, even after all these years. Unfortunately my inner turmoil didn't go unnoticed as there was even more concern to lace Boyd's next words if that was even possible.

"You know it would help to talk about it and lift this weight off your shoulders."

"I know... I just can't. My life is that bad but maybe I can show you what happened," I replied and I held out the disk that contained the story on it. "This is the story that I wrote for my assignment. Read it and it should help to clarify some things about me."

_How is it I just decided to trust him? I don't know... I guess it's because of how he sounds so concerned and that it seems like he really actually cares about me. Though he's going to learn of all the pain and torment my damn bastard of a grandfather has put us through, something that neither my friends nor I has ever told anybody. But Mr. Boyd is different somehow. It's like I can actually trust him and a part of me wants him to know about my past so he can be able to help me. Even though the other part is warning me to keep him out of this and not involve him in my problems so that he won't get hurt._

As this was all swimming around in my head Mr. Boyd had inserted the disk into his computer and had seemed to translate my Russian work as he read a line of my story, "I gave my Mother's limp form a hug as I realized that tears were pouring down my face. I knew what was happening but I didn't want to believe it." The teacher paused before wondering in horror and disbelief, "Kai was your Mother really poisoned when you were only five years old?"

The suffering and anguish I had felt at first losing my Mother and then my Father flooded into my mind and heart as I coldly stated with malice and bitterness, "It was all my damn grandfather's fault and just because he wants to use me for his fucking schemes. Just keep reading and my story will explain itself."

I then bolted from the room as I wasn't going to allow the man to see the tears that welled up in my crimson orbs or let him know about the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. I wanted to get as far away from everyone around this stupid place as I possibly could so I just continued to run for a while.

Somehow I had miraculously managed to end up in the courtyard and I found myself under a tree. The memories wouldn't go away and I struck out against the tree in my pain. It had been so long since I really thought about my parents as I had always pushed the thoughts away from my mind, deciding that it would be best for me not to think about the traumatic events. But no matter how hard I tried I was unable to shake the torturous images from my head this time.

The suffering became too unbearable and my emotions eventually overpowered me. I broke down and slid down the length of the tree as I cried there alone, where no one would be able to see or interrogate me.

**

* * *

**

End of Kai's POV

Cassie made her way to lunch deciding she would cut through the courtyard for a bit of fresh air. The girl strolled through the bright green space that was surrounded by the school. Just as she was about to return inside the building for another one of the school's tasteless meals, her eyes glimpsed something huddled against a tree. She approached it for a closer inspection and she saw a grey head of hair plunged in a young man's muscular arms so his face was barely visible.

"Kai?" The girl wondered aloud worried about her new friend as she had never seen him so forlorn looking and melancholy before.

Without looking up the grey haired young man mumbled, "What do you want?"

"To see if you're alright. Are you crying?"

"No and I'm perfectly fine," Kai responded though Cassie could tell he was lying as she just barely glimpsed the motion of Kai's hand wiping away some tears from his eyes.

"Okay then, why don't you tell me what's wrong," Cassie suggested dismissing the movement she had witnessed.

"I told you it's nothing. Just some old annoying memories," Kai barked in response appearing agitated.

"But you know that I'm just trying to help you right?"

"Yeah so, maybe I don't want it. I can handle this on my own. It's not like I haven't dealt with it before so it's nothing I can't handle," the young man stated as the cold mask he wore to conceal his emotions returned to his features.

"Fine then, be that way. I'm going to lunch," the girl announced as she stormed off inside the school to find the dining hall.

Cassie felt hurt by what her friend had said to her. It had appeared to the girl that through the last few weeks Kai was starting to open up to her. Now he was reverting back to the cold way he had been when she first met the young man and Cassie didn't know why. She had believed that they were becoming good enough friends with all the time they had been working together. So it hurt Cassie how Kai wouldn't talk to her about what was bothering him and causing him so much pain.

Though the next day it was as if the incident in the courtyard had never happened. Kai appeared to be back to his normal self, complaining about how much he hated school. Though he seemed pretty fine Kai seemed to be brooding a little more than usual that day and Cassie was glad to catch the young man alone at the locker bay between a couple of their classes.

Cassie was nervous to talk to Kai for the fear of not receiving any answers but she was curious as to what exactly was going on with him. And the girl was determined to help her friend in any way that she possibly could.

Cassie breathed in a deep breath before finally greeting, "Hi Kai, what's up?"

"The roof, the sky, whatever answer you like," he replied in mock sarcasm.

"You know what I meant, I was wondering how you're doing? You've seemed pretty moody lately," Cassie confessed getting what was on her mind out in the open.

"At least you're not one of those people who keep avoiding the point. If you're talking about yesterday I didn't like something Boyd said. As for right now all the pink and mushiness and couples and stuff is really pissing me off," Kai replied as he stood up from where he leaned against his locker.

_So he didn't forget about yesterday. I wish he would give me more details about what happened but I guess he doesn't trust me enough yet. Well maybe I can still try to cheer him up, _Cassie thought to herself and she remarked, "You don't like Valentine's Day either, huh?"

"No it's just a stupid corporate holiday that I've never cared for," Kai hesitated for a moment as he appeared to be wondering about what to say and the girl waited patiently until he continued, "Besides the person I'd want to spend the day with is far away."

He appeared saddened as Cassie realized, "So it's less the fact that stupid Valentine's Day is tomorrow and more of you wanting to be able to spend the Holiday with the people you care about that's bugging you?"

"Yeah, I really miss them and I was hoping that I would be back at home by now," Kai replied a hint of depression and longing in his voice.

"I know that it probably seems like you've been here forever already but it's going to take a long time to finish school and get a good enough job for you to make the amount of money you need to get back home. It's not like anyone said that this was going to be easy but once you get through the rest of school you'll be done with the hard part," Cassie added in an attempt to reassure her friend.

"Yeah you're right, I guess I'm just worried about what they'll all think when they see me again. I mean I was... well you know..." Kai trailed off and the girl understood what he was hinting at.

Cassie placed a hand on the young man's shoulder as she brightly said, "Don't worry, you'll finish school and everything will turn out fine. I bet that your friends miss you just as much as you miss them. Now come on let's get to class."

With the girl's words Kai seemed more at ease and more like himself as he groaned, "Do we really have to?"

"Yes, if you want to finish school you've got to come to classes," Cassie grinned and she dragged the grumbling young man off to their next lesson.

* * *

It was now Valentine's Day and the city of Moscow looked as it normally did on any other day. It was cold and full of plenty of snow as usual as Tala and Bryan made their trek home from work after yet another day at the Russian BBA.

_I wonder how Bree's been doing today? With all the different moods she's been going through lately and her depression about Kai it's impossible to tell how she'll react to this romantic Holiday, _the redhead pondered to himself as he silently walked with his best friend.

It was almost as if Bryan read his brother-in-law's thoughts as he wondered a moment later, "Hey Tala, how do you think Bree is holding up today?"

"I'm not sure, really. You're her brother shouldn't you know how she'd react?" Tala wondered in response.

"Well yeah but you've been around her a lot more than I have lately and she is your wife after all," Bryan shrugged as the two men passed by a little grouping of different shops on their way home.

"Yeah that's true. Hey why don't you go on ahead without me, Bry? I"ll catch up with you at home," the redhead suggested as something in a store's window caught the man's eye.

"And just what do you think you're up to?"

"Don't give me such a suspicious look, man. I'm just thinking that I should do something romantic for your sister in case she really is feeling down today, to cheer her up," Tala grinned and he ran off towards the store he had seen, not caring that he had left Bryan alone standing in the snow.

When Tala had finally returned to the little house where they all lived he was carrying a large bouquet of roses. He hunted down Bree in a mission to present the token of love to his wife. As Tala entered the house he was tackled by his son.

"Yay, you're home Daddy!"

"Yeah, where's your Mother?"

"I think she's out back," the little redheaded boy replied.

"Thanks, I'm going to go greet her and then we can play or something, okay Kai?"

Tala's son agreed to the idea and the man walked out the back door to seek out his wife. Tala found Bree out on the patio leading out to the backyard, perched on a bench. Tala hid the roses behind his back and wrapped his other arm around Bree from behind.

The woman looked up into her husband's eyes as she greeted, "Hey Tala."

"Hey there, you still missing Kai?"

"A little, it is Valentine's Day after all but that doesn't mean I love you and the rest of the family any less."

Tala shot her a smile, "That's good to hear. Now I know you've been a little down lately so I brought you a present." Tala pulled the bouquet from out behind his back and placed it on his wife's lap.

Bree grinned as she remarked, "Well this is a nice case of deja vu."

"Yeah, just like the time when I first asked you out and we started dating. Though I had no idea that you would be out here when I came looking for you, before you start accusing me of anything."

"Sure Tala this eeems to be too nicely set up to just be coincidence. I bet that you just planned all of this," Bree playfully teased the man.

"Seriously I didn't but Happy Valentine's Day anyway, even if it is a stupid corporate Holiday that none of us really cares about," the redheaded man commented as he gave Bree a quick peck on the cheek.

That was when their son ran out onto the patio and hopefully asked, "Daddy, can we play now?"

Tala picked up his little boy into his arms and wholeheartedly replied, "Sure, why don't you show Mommy and me how good your blading skills are becoming?"

"Okay, I'm going to beat you Daddy!"

"We'll see about that son," Tala laughed with as much enthusiasm as his son appeared to possess.

He set little Kai down at a Beydish the family had in the backyard. Tala launched Wolborg and he and the wolf bitbeast took the battle a bit easy on little Kai and Dranzer. As the man Beybladed with his son Tala looked up and saw a smile on Bree's face as she watched the two of them from the bench where she was sitting.

Tala's own smile grew and his heart soared as the redheaded man thought to himself, _I'm glad that Bree's finally looking happy again. It warms me up inside to be able to put a real smile back on her face. It seems like things are looking up for our little family and I believe that we'll continue being able to live a peaceful life here. With Bree, my wife, loving me at my side and a sweet little son to raise, there is nothing that can possibly go wrong or bring down my high spirits._

_

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_

And there you have it, this chapter is finally done. Let me know what you think of it and thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing.


	11. Practice

Man I'm bad it's been so long since I last updated this, oops. Sorry for the long wait I won't go on about excuses instead I'll get right into the chapter. This one begins my little tournament at the blind school and I hope that you all enjoy it. One last thing before I get into the chapter, I'd just like to say this a bit of a late birthday present for Lord of Fluff. Happy belated birthday to him and I hope he likes this surprise.

* * *

**Chapter 11 Practice**

The following Sunday Kai had returned to the blind school with Cassie. The hype of the Beyblade tournament was the topic on everybody's minds as the competition had gotten underway. Even the grey haired young man was lost in thought about the first day of matches as he traversed the halls on the second floor of the main school building.

_The opening matches went smoothly enough, I suppose but it was pretty tame. I was right to assume that this would prove to be a waste of time. These weaklings have absolutely no skill, _Kai thought to himself as his feet seemed to absentmindedly carry him towards the library.

"_Just where do you think you're off to_?" The dark phoenix pecked at the back of Kai's mind.

"_Where do you think? I'm going to the library the way I do every day at lunch time,_" Kai replied while his feet led him to his destination.

"_Have you forgotten what day it is? If you don't turn around and hurry down to the gym right now we're going to miss our match. You promised I would get to battle but if you miss the match all the training we've been doing would have been for nothing. You better keep up your end of our bargain, I need to have my fun in the dish,_" Black Dranzer whined expressing his distress.

The crimson eyed young man realized the truth in the bitbeast's words as he swore, "Shit! You're actually right for once!"

Determined to not take a page out of the idiot Granger's book Kai hoped he would make it to his match on time. Bolting off towards the gym Kai descended the main flight of stairs in a sprint. Once at the entrance of the setting for the tournament the famed captain of the Bladebreakers burst through the doors. Upon entering Kai heard the roarous cheers of a massive crowd that was gathered there.

_They must be excited for the chance to witness a real beyblader at work, _Kai decided before turning his thoughts to the bitbeast, "_Black Dranzer lend me your sight so I can get a feel for where the dish is and get a better sense of my surroundings."_

A moment later Kai could see the space of the room around him. The young man's crimson gaze darted around the gym as he quickly inspected its area. Through the veil of fire that was the dark phoenix's sight Kai noticed that the expanse of the gym had been split in half by a dividing wall. The wall had a door at one end of it to lead to the other side of the room. The young man also noted that the crowd of spectators were gathered on rows of benches that made up a set of bleachers, lined against the wall at the end of the gym.

Kai then glanced up to see an open space near the ceiling where even more people were huddled to watch the event of the beybattle. The young man guessed they were leaning over the edge of the track on the second floor of the gym that he knew was located there from Phys Ed classes he'd had held over the past month he'd stayed at the school.

Kai glanced back around the main floor that surrounded him where wrestling mats lay spread out underneath his feet. The mats were dark blue in colour with a white target like pattern decorating them. In the centre of this sat the beydish, perfectly placed in the middle of the room that would serve as a stadium for everyone there to see.

Kai's opponent was already present waiting at one of the ends of the dish. Unforfunately for the young man the fiery vision he had borrowed from the bitbeast failed his unseeing crimson orbs before he could grasp a good look at the boy he was about to face. So Kai strode across the floor of mats to claim his place at the opposite end of the dish. As he took up his stance a chorus of cheers and woots thundered from the audience in support of the former captain of the World Champion team.

"Well it looks like I'm the first one to challenge the Great Kai Hiwatari. Now I'm pretty good when it comes to sports so don't get too cocky on me or anything, okay?" Kai's opponent remarked and he recognized the voice to belong to Dylan.

The experienced beyblader merely rolled his eyes at the comment as Black Dranzer butt in, "_Cocky? Us Cocky? I think this guy's the cocky one. Let's get down to business and show this boaster what we're made of... eh Kai?_"

"_Yeah sure, just remember there's no need to unleash anywhere near your full power on one who doesn't possess a bitbeast._"

"_Oh you're no fun! Alright... I suppose I don't have to go so hard on the kid, he probably won't even last long enough to give me that much fun anyway,_" the dark phoenix groaned as he was subdued by his master.

"_Good,_" Kai replied as he readied Black Dranzer on his launcher.

Before Kai could release his Beyblade into the dish the young man heard Mr. Gall's voice.

The staff member of the residence who appeared to be standing in as referee announced, "Hello folks I'd like to introduce you all to another battle of W. Ross Macdonald School's first Beyblade Tournament. I'd also like to ask you to try and keep your cheers to a minimum. The students here are blind and visually impaired and need silence to help their concentration. A reminder that these preliminary matches are single elimination rounds to determine who will move on to the next level. The combatants already know these rules as they were detailed by our principal the day before at the tournament's opening. So good luck and a good match to both of you. Beybladers at the ready and.... 3... 2... 1... let it rip!"

As the last bit of the speech was called Kai joined in out of habit while he pulled the ripcord hard with all of his force. Kai's launch was strong and powerful and his black beyblade soared forth into action to strike at the spinning object that opposed it. Through his other senses he had trained to accurately assist his blading without his eyesight, Kai could discern the feeble rotation of Dylan's Beyblade. The object spun with a wobble and Black Dranzer closed the distance between the two Beyblades, going in for the kill.

In a split second the battle was over almost as soon as it had begun. Kai knew that his black blade had sliced through the other boy's sloppy defenses once his sharp hearing picked up on the sound of his opponents blade clatter to the floor outside the dish. Kai had won, seizing a swift and early victory. The grey haired young man retrieved the dark phoenix's beyblade as the crowd went wild in approval of the show of skill and power the former captain had performed.

"_Ha! I sure showed him! So much for that kid actually thinking he stood a chance against us,_" Black Dranzer snickered in triumph.

"_I thought I told you no showing off?_" Kai inquired in response within his mind.

"_I wasn't! I just took the kid down before the weakling had a chance to do anything about it,_" the dark phoenix justified his actions.

Kai shrugged and dismissed the conversation as it seemed that Cassie had joined him bringing over a couple of her friends.

"Yeah! You did it Kai! That was such an amazing match, my brother's not even that good," the girl who was Ray's sister congratulated, giving the young man a friendly pat on the back.

Kai shrugged, "That was nothing, it takes years of experience to perfect your skills to that level and I've been training all my life."

"Well it was still an awesome battle. We'll have to celebrate later but we should probably get to class now. Come on, there's the bell," the dark haired girl stated in a casual chipper tone.

As the bell signalled the end of the lunch break, Mr Gall made another announcement, "It looks like Kai Hiwatari makes a spectacular win in this first round! Now as the participants Beyblading in the next battle prepare I would like to note that all students who don't have a match or aren't competing are expected to attend their classes as scheduled!"

The crimson eyed young man let out an agitated grunt as he'd intended to avoid his boring classes but he soon realized that was the least of his worries. The audience gathered on the bleachers seemed to swarm around him, the fans crying his name and asking for autographs. Luckily for Kai just before they could mob him completely he was relieved from the crowd. Someone had grabbed his hand and had managed to pull him from the claustrophobic mass of people.

Once safely away in the hallway a concerned voice asked, "That was close. Are you alright, Kai?"

Grateful to his rescuer Kai replied, "Yeah, I'm fine Cass... thanks... I guess..."

"No problem," she calmly said with a tone that told Kai she was smiling, "You coming to class?"

"You know, for once I'm not going to argue with you," the grey haired young man stated with a sigh.

"Wow! Really? You sure you're feeling okay? You're not sick or been hit on the head or anything?" The girl wondered in complete and utter shock and surprise.

"Yeah, I just really don't want to have to deal with those crazy fans. I think that I'd rather deal with Bernard than be mobbed by them," Kai shuddered and he walked off with Cassie to willingly put up with the torment of the boring school day.

* * *

The remainder of the day proved to pass by at a slow pace and Cassie could tell that her brother's old captain was nearly bored to death throughout their classes that afternoon. Eventually it had passed and Cassie found herself sitting in a room of the music wing that she used for her practice each night. The rooms used for music or studios as they were called, were all pretty much the same in appearance. They were small in size, containing a piano as well as a chair or some other kind of instrument in one of the corners.

The girl sat on the bench in front of the piano kicking her feet as they dangled over the bench's edge. Cassie was usually quite productive in both her lessons and practices and with nothing more to do she waited for the practice to be finished. Cassie was ready to head over to the school's auditorium for Choir. After a while the whistle to tell the students practice was done finally blew and Cassie left her studio. In the main hallway the girl met up with her closest friends Kathleen and Amanda and she happily greeted them.

"Hey Cass, how was practice?" The blonde girl wondered as the three of them crossed paths with each other.

"Not bad, Kakky. But I'm glad it's time for Choir."

"That's cool," Kathleen stated as the small group made their way over to the doors of the auditorium.

"Yeah, so do you think that friend of yours is finally going to join us tonight?" Amanda curiously piped up.

"I'm not sure," Cassie replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Well you seem like the only person he really talks to, with all the time you two spend together..."

"And you do seem pretty close to the guy. Seriously Cass, have you even asked him out yet?" Kathleen prodded in agreement with the shorter girl.

"No! Kai and I are just friends and even if there were a remote chance of us being something more than that he's in love with this old girlfriend of his back in his hometown," Cassie exclaimed feeling the heat of a tiny blush creep across her cheeks.

Kathleen noticed it as the blonde girl grinned, "Oh so there is a spark there! You do have feelings for him?"

"I do not! Just because I spend a lot of time with Kai doesn't mean that I like him or that he'd tell me whether or not he's coming to practice. I'm not his keeper so stop asking," Cassie huffed, her temper steadily rising with her friends' accusations.

"Alright already... just calm down. We've known you for years so we thought the signs were there and something more would come out of your spending time together," Amanda reasoned coolly.

"But if he really does care for someone else we won't hurt you by going on about it. Though you do know people are going to get suspicious and start asking questions? I bet all of his fans are going to get really jealous by how the two of you are always hanging out," Kathleen finished seeming satisfied by Cassie's reactions.

"Well those airheads can just go jump off a bridge for all I care. And I don't want to hear another word about Kai or me liking him either," the Chinese girl declared as she stormed off into the auditorium.

Inside its doors was a pretty large expanse of space with it being used to hold the school's gatherings. There was a big stage at one end and rows of chairs facing this at the other. Below the stage were risers that the music teacher had set up for the practice. As well as a grand piano that would accompany the singing lay in the space between the risers and the aisles of chairs.

Kathleen and Amanda caught up to Cassie and the blonde suggested, "Hey, let's find our seats while we wait for the rest of the Choir to show up!"

"Yeah sure," Cassie agreed as she took Amanda's arm and guided the girl over to a spot of the risers next to Brooke, the girl Cassie shared a room with.

Splitting up from her short friend Cassie rejoined Kathleen at the other end of the risers where the two girls claimed a couple of spots. The Choir was divided into four sections, Alto, Base, Tenor, and Soprano. The two of them were Sopranos while the other dark haired girl was an Alto.

As Cassie and Kathleen made themselves comfortable another girl entered the large room. It was a preppy blonde who was none other than Stephannie Leach. None of the friends liked her with her bitchy attitude and how she was always trying to be little miss perfect. Cassie inwardly groaned as Stephannie approached her.

Hands on her hips, the preppy blonde of a bitch huffed, "If it isn't the two whores. First you try stealing my boyfriend away from me after Courtney dumped you and now you're stealing Kai away from his adoring fans. Why someone famous like him would want to waste time with a slut like you is beyond me. I mean he is so way too good for you, completely out of your league."

"Oh yeah and I suppose you're just perfect for him? Kai wouldn't give a bitch like you the time of day let alone go out with you," Cassie spat out in response.

"Of course he would be better off with me and if not then at least someone else who admires him as much as I do, not a pathetic little girl who tries too hard to impress everybody," scoffed the ignorant, attention seeking, goody goody.

"The only thing you admire Kai for is his fame! He should be with someone who cares about him for who he is not just because he's a champion. Now get lost before I have to kill you! You intolerable... good for nothing... perfect... little-" Before Cassie could finish the insult there was a hand on her shoulder.

Halting the girl in mid sentence Kathleen stepped into the banter, "That's enough Cass, we all know your feelings of hatred are mutual. Besides Leach, Cassie was just saying how there was nothing more than friendship between her and Kai. So calm down and try not to bite each other's heads off... Choir will be starting soon."

"Fine Kakky, spoil my fun," Cassie mumbled as Stephannie stalked away to the other side of the Soprano section.

The other students had begun to trickle in by then. The snob who was Cassie's enemy, met up with her bitch of a best friend, Lindsey, to probably gossip on about how the rest of the world was beneath them. After a while the students were all gathered for Choir practice and Mr. Boyd followed a few minutes later, with a tense and agitated looking Kai. Cassie was surprised to see him and glanced over at the young man as he was dragged into the auditorium.

_Guess I better go help him. He is my friend after all and it would probably show Leach a thing or two, _the girl decided as she went over to the entrance where a grumbling Kai was still fighting against the music teacher.

As she approached the girl caught a flash of something she couldn't recognize. For a moment it appeared as if the young man's crimson depths glinted with a burning fiery gaze. Kai appeared to be anxious by being around all the other kids in the unfamiliar area but when Cassie stared back into his unseeing orbs, they looked normal and it was as if Kai had eased up a little.

Intent on assisting her friend, Cassie offered, "If you tell me which section to put him in I can give you a hand and help your friend here find a seat."

"Yes that would be appreciated, thank you Cassie. You can put him somewhere with the Tenors," Mr. Boyd replied appreciating the help with the stubborn and difficult young man.

Grasping Kai's hand, in a friendly tone she encouraged, "Try not to look so glum. Choir practice is fun, you'll see that it really isn't as bad as you think it is. I think that you even know some people here, Dave and your roommate Brandon King are even a part of Choir and you seem to be getting along with them alright so you should stop your worrying."

"Hn," Kai shrugged emotionlessly and Cassie sat her anxious friend at a spot between the two boys she'd mentioned who also sang as Tenors.

While she had led him over to the boys it was as if the grey haired young man trusted her and had released his tension as if he felt safe by holding her hand. Leaving Kai in the care of the fun loving guys Cassie returned to Kathleen. She felt pleased in helping her solitary friend and getting him to cheer up somewhat from his worry of the practice.

Mr. Boyd played through some notes to help the Choir warm up as they got into the swing of the practice. They went through different songs that Boyd expected the group to perform at some point. In between a couple of them Cassie chanced a look behind her to check up on her brooding grey haired friend. The young man on the section of risers behind her looked uncomfortable as Cassie noticed the older boy next to him lean over to whisper something.

"You know it's alright if you don't think you're any good at this? That's why we sing in a group, to help each other out. If you're lucky and do it right, no one will even be able to pick your voice out from the crowd. Besides if you don't sing with the rest of us Boyd is going to single you out and then everyone will be able to hear how well or terrible your voice sounds," the girl barely heard Dave say.

It seemed like he'd gotten through Kai's cold demeanor and made some sense as the young man nodded his head of grey locks in understanding. The practice transpired and Cassie participated in the activity of singing, listening to those around her as well while pacing her high voice through the notes and lyrics of the music. As she did so she could distinguish the sound of a new voice that had joined into the mix.

Deciding she liked what she heard, Cassie tried to discern who the melodious delightful sound belonged to as she wondered to herself, _Is that Kai? Wow can he sing! He sounds really good. I never __knew he could sing like that, no wonder Boyd was so interested and keen on getting him to join Choir._

It wasn't much longer until the hour set aside for Choir was up and practice was finished for another week. Their time with Boyd over Cassie exited the room, heading back to the residence with her friend Kathleen. Spotting Kai's grey head walk down the halls of the school with Dave Cassie called over to him.

"Hey! Now was that really so bad?"

Hearing her the young man glared over in her direction, "Yes it was but I guess the torture I get to be put through tomorrow is going to be a lot worse."

"What's Boyd making you do tomorrow?"

"Something to do with singing in some stupid concert next week," Kai replied begrudgingly.

"Oh I hate those! It's so nerve wracking getting up on that stage to sing in front of such a big audience," Cassie agreed with a shudder.

"Well there you guys go, looks like you have something in common to talk about. Come on Dave, let's hurry back to the res. These two can discuss the concert and catch up to us in a minute," the blonde girl mischievously giggled and grabbed Dave's arm to lead him off.

"Yeah sure... guess I'll see you later dude," Dave mumbled without a clue of what was going on.

Kathleen winked over at Cassie and towed the older boy away from his friend. Cassie stifled a blush from the realization of what her evil friend was up to. Then glanced back toward the companion she had been left alone with. Kai rolled his eyes and the two of them started making their way to the residence as well.

Walking together the crimson eyed young man inquired, "So I'm not the only one who hates the idea of singing in front of people?"

"Nope but my teacher is a lot more flexible than Boyd and I always find a way to get out of these stupid concerts. So I never have to worry about them," the girl grinned proud of herself.

"Lucky for you, I don't seem to have that luxury. Boyd's got it set up in a way that I don't have much of a chance to do that myself."

"Well I'm not sure if I'll exactly be able to skip it this year either," Cassie admitted to him.

The two of them continued on their way, the conversation still flowing as they stepped outside into the brisk evening. Cassie was enjoying their short time together as talking about the stupid concert had seemed to open the cold beyblader up to her. Sadly for her it was almost at an end and the two of them had once again ended up at the entrance of the senior residence.

"Well good luck with Boyd in your lesson and I'll see you tomorrow," Cassie said goodbye to her brother's old captain as she left him on the threshold of the boy's floor and returned to the second level of the building.

* * *

The next morning Kai walked down the corridors to the torture of Boyd's lesson he had been dreading. Upon reaching the music wing the bitbeast Kai possessed decided to pop up inside the young man's mind.

"_Aww someone seems grumpy! Are you in a bad mood just because of what your teacher has in store for you today?_"

"_Oh shut up already_!"

"_What? I think this could be interesting. But fine if you're going to be that way... when's our next match_?" The dark phoenix cooed.

"_Is that all you care about_?"

"_No, getting in the dish just makes me feel better and it should make you feel more relaxed too,_" the bird in Kai's mind went on.

"_Whatever, I think it's tomorrow afternoon to determine if I can make the Quarter Finals next week. These matches are nothing so of course I'm going to,_" Kai smirked to himself.

Black Dranzer seemed satisfied for the moment and excited for the next battle.

Though Kai chose to ignore the bitbeast as he strode into Boyd's office to deal with his lesson.

Leaning against the counter as he always did Kai sighed, "Well we might as well get this over with."

"I'm glad that you're here on time Kai. Before you meet your partner for the concert I wanted to apologize to you. I understand that it probably doesn't count for much but I feel sorry for all the terrible things you've had to go through in your life. No one should have to handle the terrible things that you have," the man exclaimed sympathetically.

There was something in his voice that made Kai believe Boyd's disgusted feelings towards his childhood were true as Kai realized that the man had took him into his arms in a caring embrace.

The crimson eyed young man stood there for a moment before pulling away and angrily stating, "It's not like it really matters now what happened to me in my past. I'm not going to let my damn grandfather or anyone else do anything like it to me again! And now that it seems you've finished reading it you can give me back my story."

"Yes I finished it and it was very touching. I figured that others should know of the hardships you've faced and overcome. So I got in touch with an old friend of mine," Boyd stated in response.

Kai glared his crimson depths in his teacher's direction, "I gave you my story so you would stop interrogating me. You weren't supposed to show it to anybody!"

"I'm sorry Kai, I probably should have asked you first but my friend was moved by it just as much as I was and he decided to publish your work into a novel. My friend would also very much like to meet you to discuss the details, distribution, payment, things like that..."

Kai could feel his temper boiling up within him as he roared, "You're damn right you should have asked me first! That story was about private emotions... you had no right to go ahead and do something like that!"

The young man would have continued yelling, pissed off in disbelief of what his teacher had done. He wanted to fully express his rage and when he opened his mouth to continue doing so someone interrupted him.

"Looks like I came at a bad time... What's all this yelling about?"

"No you're right on time, Miss Kon. It just seems that I've upset your partner here," Mr. Boyd replied.

"Of course you've upset me-" Kai began as a hand was placed on his shoulder.

Kai shot his crimson orbs in the direction of the person next to him as the female voice spoke again.

"Alright Kai... it's okay. Now why don't you calmly explain to me what's bothering you?"

"Stupid Mr. Boyd took my story and published it," growled the grey haired young man.

"That doesn't sound too bad. What did you write about?"

"My crappy childhood," the young man replied curtly, "And no one else needed to about it!"

"Well if you want my opinion it's probably a good thing for people to know about what your insane evil grandfather has done to you. Maybe he'll finally end up back in jail where he belongs," the girl stated in a dark tone that was laced with the kind of hatred that Kai himself felt for the vile bastard.

"_You know Kai, your little friend here has a point? Isn't that just what you wanted anyway? Besides if people like your writing as much as your blading you may even be able to get home to Russia sooner than you expected,_" the dark phoenix reasoned and Kai understood what he was getting at, thinking that Black Dranzer just might be on to something for once.

As Kai calmed down his burning outrage subsided. His head clear once again Kai finally noticed the girl who had joined him in Boyd's office was Cassie.

The young man pondered, "What are you doing here? You never struck me as one who would skip classes."

"Cassie here is the girl I told you about... she's the one who will be performing the duet with you at the noon hour concert next week," Mr. Boyd suplimented answering Kai's question.

"I have to sing with her... you're kidding me..." Kai groaned with a roll of his dead crimson orbs.

"If you recall Kai, I'm the one who always skips these things? So I don't want to have to go through with doing this anymore than you do, you know?" Cassie grumbled sounding irritated by the prospect as well.

"I'm sure that the two of you will do fine. I paired you together to deal specifically with this issue of stage fright you both seem to have. Now I'm glad that you know each other, so introductions aside we can get right down to work on the song that you'll be performing," Mr. Boyd declared enthusiastically and Kai heard the man claim his seat in front of one of the room's pianos.

It was as if the forty five minutes of the lesson lasted for hours as Boyd repeatedly played through the insane choice of a song the two students were expected to sing. When the bell had finally rang Boyd went on about how the two of them should work together in music practice so they would be prepared. Kai merely shrugged uncaring as he and Cassie left the office.

Walking down the hall to exit the music wing the girl who was Ray's twin broke the silence between them, "I know you don't like eating much, so I don't expect to see you in the dining hall for lunch but do you want to get together afterwards to work on some Braille or something?"

"Yeah I guess I could meet you up in the library or whatever," he replied.

"Alright I'll see you later, just try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone," Cassie teased and the girl walked off in the direction of where lunch was held.

Turning towards the courtyard Kai thought to himself, _It's not like I really get into that much trouble... that girl has got to be kidding me?_

"_Yeah you never get into any trouble at all... You're just the perfect little student,_" Black Dranzer mocked and the dark phoenix wondered, "_So can we get to training already_?"

"_No, didn't you just hear me say I was going to meet Cassie later_?"

"_But we need to be ready for our match tomorrow..._" the bitbeast whined at its hopes being shot down.

"_I'm perfectly ready! Anymore practice and those kids won't even be able to stand a chance against me. I like to get some enjoyment out of blading too and if it ends so quickly I won't be able to mess with the kids' heads. So shut up and stop bugging me about it!_"

"_Oh fine, just ignore me and get ready for your date with your little girlfriend,_" the dark phoenix sulked dejectedly.

"_She's not my girlfriend! The only girl for me is Bree, you should know that by now_," Kai barked out at the bitbeast.

"_Yeah sure, if you say so but you've been spending so much time working with this girl and everything... you never know what could come out of it. Don't try to fool me I know you're starting to question your feelings yourself, you enjoy spending time with this girl so just admit it already._"

"_Even so she means nothing to me! The only reason I'm going outside is to have some peace and quiet for a while. Now shut the hell up I'm not blading!_"

"_Whatever you say, Kai. You can deny it to yourself all you want but we're bonded together and I know where your heart truly lies,_" the dark phoenix chimed its opinion, seeming overly amused by Kai's emotions.

The young man grumbled his disdain at the bitbeast's words as he stomped out into the fresh air of the courtyard. He was off to bask in the quiet just as he had planned. The annoyed beyblader allowed time to slowly dwindle by as he put all thoughts of his old teammate's sister out of his mind. Kai lay down in the soft grass in an attempt to think of nothing at all as he was determined to prove Black Dranzer's taunting theories wrong.

* * *

There's another chapter finished. I hope that you all enjoyed it and I apologize again for the long wait. I had a very bad case of writer's block but don't worry I've got this fic on track again now so I'll be going back to regular updates. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, let me know what you guys think and I'll have the next chapter up and ready soon.


	12. Snow Day

Hey everyone, it's hard to believe that I've been writing this fic for a year already. So I decided I'd celebrate by updating a fun and amusing chapter. This chapter is dedicated to my best friend Aasta The Evil Bunny Foo Foo who helped me with ideas for it. So I hope that you all enjoy the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or the songs mentioned. They are off of Guitar Hero 3 and belong to the artists who perform them. I also don't own Super Smash Bros anything to do with it seen in the chapter belongs to Nintendo. Thought I'd get that out of the way now so no one can complain about it.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Snow Day**

It was as if the week went on forever but it was at last Friday night. Kai and Cassie had returned home to the apartment in St. Catharines for what they hoped would be a quiet relaxing weekend. The two of them lounged in the living room with Ray who had gotten home early from work. Kai looked like he didn't want to be there as per usual and it seemed as if Cassie wanted to say something. The girl hoped to break the silent tension but was beaten to it when her catlike brother spoke up.

"So how was school?"

"Don't ask," the two students simultaneously groaned with the reminder of the events that had occurred that week.

"Little late for that you guys, now why don't you tell dear old Ray what was so bad about it," Cassie's brother pried with one of his catlike grins.

"We were subjected to the music teacher's torture. First he gets us to sing together for his stupid concert and then I had to go meet with this damn guy about a story of mine he had to go and get published without my permission," the amber eyed boy's old captain grimaced as he enlightened Ray to the torment he'd gone through.

_I guess Kai's finally realized that my dimwit brother won't shut up unless you humour him with some kind of information. He's starting to use his brain, _the girl thought to herself as she glanced over at her brother who was perched on the couch opposite her.

Unfortunately Ray didn't seem satisfied and with a gleam in his amber eyes for more details, Ray pressed on with his questioning, "Since when can you write a book,, Kai? Either way I doubt the week was really that terrible, eh Cass? What was so bad that happened to you, sis?"

"Well the tournament started this week so I guess it wasn't all bad. Kai could just be exaggerating. As for what happened to me at school, that's really none of your business oh dear brother of mine," Cassie retorted avoiding the question before changing the subject, "Hey bro why don't we play some video games? It'll be something to do so we're not sitting around here bored all night."

"You just don't want to oblige your poor curious brother with an answer. But fine then don't tell me about school, just leave me in the dark," Ray sulked, actually believing he could get away with a dejected look he shot the girl.

Interrupting the twins' argument Kai wondered, "What in the world are video games?"

Cassie was shocked with disbelief. The girl couldn't comprehend that it was possible for someone to not know the enjoyment of playing a good video game.

"Is it possible that you seriously don't know what a video game is?"

"What do you think when I lived with my damn bastard of a grandfather and his evil henchmen practically my entire life? I was never allowed to do anything fun, I wasn't able to have that kind of opportunity stuck in the damn abbey," the young man replied, hatred and malice lacing his voice.

"As shocking as it sounds sis, you'd understand if you met his insane grandfather-"

"You've met the guy? When did you have the chance to do that?" Cassie wondered curiously cutting her brother off.

"Yeah once… back at the World Championships in our days as a Beyblade team. He was crazy enough then and he's probably the same now if not worse… still trying to take over the world. But that aside, seeing as how Kai's never played a video game before we'll just have to teach him how much fun they can be. So what do you think would be a good one to start him off with, Cass?"

"Hmm… let me think…" Cassie pondered for a moment when her own amber eyes lit up, "Let's play Super Smash Brothers!"

Ray was just as excited by the choice of game as he challenged, "That'll be great! You're so going down this time, sis!"

"I don't think so, you boys won't even stand a chance when it comes to going against me at this game," Cassie confidently smirked, switching on the TV and popping in the game.

The enthusiastic girl then glanced over at her brother and noticed that he was getting Kai started by showing his captain the game's controller. Deciding that the boy's were doing fine Cassie proceeded in setting up the game and picking the character she would play as. She chose the one that she always used, the little pink puff ball Kirby.

Cassie's brother had appeared to help the grey haired young man well enough and Kai chose to control the green clad elf, Link. Kai had chosen his character quickly enough, the amber eyed boy on the other hand kept clicking through the different characters indecisively.

Impatiently the girl of the group snapped, "Oh would you just pick someone already!"

"Patience sis, I have it narrowed down between Mario and Pikachu," the boy replied still undecided.

"Why in the world would you want to be Mario? Luigi is so much better," Cassie scoffed defending the one who was in her opinion the superior Mario Brother.

Ray argued, "No way Mario is way better!"

The two Kons began to bicker over who was better, getting into what was one of their usual banters. The disagreement went into a heated debate. For once it didn't last long as the twins decided to turn to Kai to gain his support on their side.

"I don't know who's better! I don't know what you're going on about and I don't care! Now would you shut up so we can get this over with already?" Kai blurt out ending the twins' argument.

"Kai's right, pick a character already bro so I can get on with kicking your asses," Cassie agreed overjoyed with the anticipation of playing the game.

"Jeez, you have no patience! Okay I guess I'll go with Pikachu," Ray decided on the yellow electrical rodent.

With the guys finally ready the girl went on to determine the right battlefield for their duel. She selected a suitable stage, an easy one that didn't have many ledges. That way Kai would be able to get a feel for the fighting style game that consisted of beating each other up until only one player was left standing.

Kai was fairing pretty well for a newbie. He was hitting random buttons to get Link to attack her and Ray with his sword but Cassie was still the better player and wouldn't be taken down so easily. Every time she was knocked off the edge of the stage and it looked like she'd be finished off, the girl used Kirby's floating ability to save herself.

Once back to safety Cassie unleashed a barrage of attacks of her own. Her opponents were caught off guard and sent flying but unlike her they were unable to bounce back or retaliate against her. This went on for a few rounds with Cassie winning, each battle always ending the same with Cassie's Kirby beating down its opposition. Though sometimes she would shoot items at them to change things up a bit but the result still remained the same.

A triumphant smirk on her face, Cassie challenged, "You two might as well form a team and come at me together, that's the only way you're ever going to stand a chance against me."

"Maybe we will but do you have to pick Kirby all the time, sis?"

"Yep he's the best! If I'm going to die I can just fly up with him and save my ass," the girl coolly stated, enjoying making fools out of the guys.

Ray grumbled, "That's so unfair! But if that's the way you want it, then two can play at that game!"

Cassie didn't like the sneaky look on her brother's face as the raven haired boy switched his character to Jigglypuff. As the two males joined forces in a tag team against Cassie, the battle got underway. The girl of the group opened with her usual tactics. Though this time when Ray was knocked off the stage's edge he mimicked her strategy and used Jigglypuff to bounce back onto the battlefield.

Glaring at him Cassie wondered, "Ray, what do you think you're up to?"

"Oh nothing, just using your little tricks against you," Cassie's brother grinned in his catlike way.

Once he had safely landed his character instead of striking out against her, he used one of the Pokemon's special abilities. Getting Jigglypuff to sing Ray put his opponent to sleep.

The girl's Kirby's defenses open, Ray called over to his teammate, "Now's your chance, Kai! Get her with a spin attack while she's open!"

Hitting the buttons in a fruitless attempt to win, Kai growled, "I'm trying but this damn thing won't work!"

Noticing that Kirby wasn't the only one put to sleep Cassie laughed at her brother's stupidity, "Really great plan! Is that all you've got?"

"No way, we're just getting started! Right Kai?"

The crimson eyed young man appeared to be attempting to kill the controller as he yelled, "Argh, I've had enough of this! I'm tired of being humiliated by this damn stupid game and I don't see how you can think that it's so much fun!"

As her brother's old captain threw down the controller the other boy tried to reason, "Alright Kai... just calm down... Before giving up on video games altogether how about you give a different one a try? We can play one that my sister's not so good at so you can really see how much fun video games can be."

"Fine... I'll try playing one more of your stupid games," Kai obliged with a sigh, "But is there actually a game that your sister's not good at?"

"Yep, here you're going to need one of these..." Ray replied as he drew out a couple of guitar like controllers and handed one to his friend.

Catching on to what Ray was getting at Cassie commented, "I'm not that bad at Guitar Hero and do you really think that it's the best choice? It's a pretty visual game."

"He'll be fine if we tell him what colours come up on the screen," Ray justified his decision and showing Kai how to work the controller he wondered, "You like music don't you, man? This is a pretty cool game if you do."

"For the most part so long as Boyd hasn't gotten a hold of it," the young man replied.

"Well Boyd's not here so we don't have to worry," Cassie assured and turning to her brother the girl wondered, "So how do we want to make this work when only two of us can play at a time?"

"Easy we take turns of course, and each one of us can pick a song to play too. But first I think we should give Kai a chance to get a feel for the game and see if he can play it by trying the easiest song," the girl's twin stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Come on, Ray... not Slow Ride! Not that one... anything but that song..." Cassie groaned hating the song after all the times Ray had annoyed her with playing it over and over again.

"Too bad, sis. That's what you get for being so mean and not playing fair on Smash Bros," the annoying boy grinned wickedly as he set up the game so it was ready for Kai.

"Stupid dimwit brother," Cassie mumbled under her breath.

"Paybacks a bitch," Ray shot back hearing her insult.

Kai started the song on the game and the young man seemed to be doing fairly well for someone who was blind. Cassie and Ray were telling the crimson eyed young man what buttons to press but after a while he seemed to be able to predict what to do without the twins' help. Even though Kai was doing so well he got booed by the audience and wasn't able to finish the song.

Frustrated that he had lost Kai growled, "I've had enough of this! I'm never going to get the hang of these damn games!"

"Hey you were doing really good for your first time. It takes practice and nobody get Guitar Hero right their first shot at it. I'm sure you'll get it if you give the game another go," Ray encouraged and he set up the song for Kai to play through it again.

Cassie groaned as the song started over but Kai seemed to be getting the hang of it and was actually able to complete playing it through. It was surprising that Kai managed to beat it, not being able to see and without any help from Cassie and her brother.

"I don't know how you managed to pull that off but now that you're warmed up we can start having some real fun," Cassie grinned psyched to beat the guys at yet another game.

Ray suggested, "Okay sis, why don't we play School's Out?"

"You just picked stupid Slow Ride," Cassie argued.

"That was so Kai could warm up. It doesn't count as a song choice."

"Fine we'll play the song but I'm not going easy on Kai just because he's new at this," the girl remarked as she grabbed the other controller.

"You know if you want to have a break, man, I can take my sister on," Ray offered.

"That's okay, I'd rather be the one to take her down a few pegs," the young man replied.

Kai appeared ready to challenge the girl and finally beat her. Something that Cassie would not let happen as the two began to battle each other to see who was the better player. Surprisingly Kai put up a good fight, only missing some of the notes. It had been a close game but luckily for the girl she was just a bit better and had won by a margin of a few points.

Noticing Kai was ready to kill something, Ray tried to calm him down, "Hey Kai, you came really close to beating her. I'll just make sure to show her a thing or two and put her annoying winning streak in it's place on the next song."

"Sure bro, go ahead and try if you really think you stand a chance. This time I get to pick the song," the girl enthusiastically stated.

"Yeah I know... you and your favourite Hit Me With Your Best Shot."

"Yep it's my best song and so much better than your stupid choices," Cassie grinned happily as she and her brother got down to business.

Though Hit Me With Your Best Shot was Cassie's best song she discovered that Ray had been practicing as the raven haired boy was holding his own. At the end of the song it turned out that Ray had actually won and he laughed at his sister's expense. Cassie merely shrugged off his teasing as losing didn't really matter to her all that much.

Instead of satisfying her brother by giving him a reaction, the girl prepared the game for another match as she wondered, "So you ready to try the game again Kai, now that you've had a chance to cool off a bit?"

"Yeah I'm not as tough as my sister so who knows you could finally win one. It'll be fun," Ray added.

Kai agreed to give the game one last round with a song he had decided on called Prayer of the Refugee. Cassie guessed that he liked the song because the lyrics reflected his harsh past. As he played through the song with the girl's brother, Cassie watched as Kai perfectly hit every note. Later in the song there were a couple that Kai missed by hitting a button too soon or late that were typical mistakes for even the best player.

Ray on the other hand missed a lot more of the notes as if he rarely chose to play the song. By the end of it the boy held shock in his amber eyes as he had been beaten by his old friend. The girl smiled as Kai seemed to be pleased with himself now that he was finally victorious

Not expecting the outcome Ray congratulated, "Good game, Kai. Man how were you able to play so well like that?"

"Let's just say a little birdie told me what to be ready for," Kai grinned as if knowing something that the Kon twins didn't.

_Hmm I wonder if it has something to do with that connection a beyblader's supposed to share with their bitbeast. My brother's told me about it before but I don't know about it... it sounds really strange. Though If it does have something to do with that strange connection... if this kind of connection I don't really fully understand is actually possible... Then it would explain how Kai's able to get around so well without his sight as if he could see_, Cassie contemplated but her brother's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Well I think that's enough gaming for one night. It's getting late so we should probably all head to bed," Ray suggested and then the boy who was Cassie's twin added, remembering something, "Oh yeah don't forget to pick up the groceries while I'm at work tomorrow, sis. We're running low on food and I need ingredients for that 'thing' for dinner."

"Yeah sure Ray, don't worry I'll make sure I get what you need," Cassie remarked and with that said the three of them retired to their rooms for the night to get a well needed sleep.

* * *

The next morning Kai woke up to find Cassie in the living room waiting for him.

"Morning, sleepy head. Ray's left for work already but I've got a list and an idea of what he plans on making so we can get going on the shopping without him. Apparently it's supposed to snow really bad today too so hurry up and get ready. So we can leave nice and early," Cassie explained in her usual chipper tone that was far too cheery for Kai's liking.

"And why the hell should I have to go with you?" Kai inquired irritably.

"Because, firstly you need to get out of the apartment to get some fresh air... Secondly it's a good experience for you so you know how to go shopping when you're ever on your own... Thirdly I need someone to help me carry the groceries... And fourthly whether you like it or not you're going because I say so," the girl smugly stated, listing off answers to the young man's question.

He merely rolled his dead crimson eyes at her request. Eventually Kai obliged his old teammate's sister and he prepared for the arduous task of shopping for groceries with her.

_I wonder how painful getting groceries is going to be, _Kai grumbled inside his head.

"_Oh lighten up, shopping for school supplies was amusing and I think that I'm going to enjoy this just as much,_" Black Dranzer excitedly remarked in response to the Beyblader's thoughts.

Kai chose not to humour the annoying bird with a response as he had finished getting ready to leave and returned to the other room to meet Cassie.

As he entered the girl advised, "You know it's pretty cold outside, you should probably bundle up a bit more than just wearing that scarf of yours. It is winter after all."

"And I lived in Russia most of my life. Being half Russian I can handle the weather, this is nothing to me," Kai replied nonchalantly.

"Well if you say so... Let's get going then," Cassie stated and the two of them departed the apartment building off to do the shopping.

The grocery shopping was very brutal for Kai as the grey haired young man had suspected. The store itself was easy enough to find. It was in the strip mall behind the apartment where the Wal-Mart was located that Kai had been forced to shop at before. The walk over there was perfectly fine as well but once inside the grocery store- Kai learned was called No Frills from his companion- the trip turned into an unpleasant one.

The place was packed with people, making Kai feel uneasy as he hated such crowded places. On top of that he was given a tour of the store with Cassie pointing out the different sections of foods and products. The girl's explaining things only bored and aggravated Kai even more. All it did was make his stay of weaving around and avoiding all contact with other people milling about that much longer.

After a while the young man was fed up to the point where he'd had enough and snapped, "Can you just go get what we need for Ray's stupid cooking so we can get out of this damn place already!"

"Alright, there's no need to get all testy. I'll just check the list to see what we need to pick up," Cassie replied and upon consulting the list she dragged Kai around the store in search of the groceries that she required.

It was a grueling experience for the young man and having the dark phoenix finding the whole thing amusing, mocking Kai's discomfort did not help the matter. Thankfully the sister of Kai's old teammate knew where to locate everything she was looking for and eventually they had ended up at the checkout. Of course before they could pay for the food and get out of the agonizing store, Kai was subjected to waiting in a long lineup to add to his torment.

_This is great, why is it that I always have to suffer because of this stupid girl?_ Kai asked himself as he stood there silently wishing that the line would move.

"_It's not like it's that bad, I find your little girlfriend's antics to be quite fun. Beside you like her... I don't see why you won't just admit it already,_" the annoying bitbeast in Kai's head went on.

As Kai's irritation escalated more and more he shouted out, "Shut up!"

"I know you're feeling ancy Kai but we'll be out of here and on our way back home soon. We're at the front of the line now," Cassie reassured and she made the transaction for their groceries.

Kai's temper cooled off a little as they finally headed out of the store and returned to the secluded peae and quiet of the Kon's apartment.

"So what was that outburst of yours in the store about?" Cassie curiously asked as the girl proceeded to put away the groceries until they were needed for supper.

"It was nothing," Kai stated as he settled down on the couch that was against the wall in the corner of the room.

"It's not nothing or you wouldn't have yelled. I thought with all the time we've been spending together these past few weeks you would've learned to trust me more by now. But if you really don't want to talk about what's bothering you I won't push you."

"There's nothing bothering me really... it's more something to do with my connection with my bitbeast that's annoying me," Kai admitted with a sigh.

"Well okay then, what's so bad about that?"

"Oh nothing really, it's perfectly fine so long as the stupid bird leaves me alone but the stupid thing will never shut up inside my head," the young man explained to the girl, surprising himself that he was actually willing to tell her about Black Dranzer.

"_Hey you like my comments when I'm telling you where things are so you won't bump into them. But if that's how you feel then maybe I just won't be your eyes anymore,_" Black Dranzer interjected insulted by Kai's words.

The young man didn't pay the dark phoenix much attention as Cassie continued to wonder, "Your bitbeast talks to you?"

The girl sounded awed as Kai replied, "If you have a strong enough bond with them. Black Dranzer's talking in my head as we speak, right now he's sulking again about me being so ungrateful of his help by how much I insult him."

"That's interesting, though I thought your bitbeast was some kind of evil spirit? At least Ray seems to think so..."

"Yeah it's hard for most people to control him and I even had difficulty with it at first... the bloody bird caused a lot of trouble and chaos back at the World Championships all those years ago but that's a different story... That aside he gets sensitive and defensive pretty easily, so he's not exactly as bad or evil a spirit as he used to be. Now if you don't mind I'd rather change the subject before he gets all high and mighty that we're talking about him and starts to think he's the centre of attention," Kai advised as he didn't want to put up with the annoying bitbeast in that kind of mood.

"Alright what should we talk about?"

"I don't know... when is Ray getting back?" Kai wanted to know.

It wasn't that he disliked Cassie's company, he actually enjoyed it as Black Dranzer had suspected. The truth in the matter was that Kai didn't know what would happen if he spent much more time in the apartment alone with the girl. Especially with the emotions he felt towards her that were beginning to surface inside of him.

"Not sure, whenever his shift is over. But I've got no idea when that's going to be with how hard the snow's coming down," Cassie replied breaking the young man from both his worries and Black Dranzer's taunting.

It had begun to snow as Kai and Cassie walked home from the store, Kai noticing tiny flakes falling onto him. Luckily for them they had gotten home when they did as the snow had apparently gotten worse. Throughout the day the gentle light snowfall progressed into a storm. The girl who kept Kai company explained to him the scene she witnessed through the windows and the severity of the mass of white particles as they transformed into a raging blizzard.

To Kai's displeasure the phone rang as the two of them were talking and he was unpleased by the news Cassie relayed back to him.

"That was my brother calling. It turns out that this snow storm is so bad that he has to stay overnight at work. So he says not to worry about him or anything and that we should go ahead with dinner without him," Cassie explained, passing on the message that Ray had told her through the phone.

_Great, how am I supposed to get through a whole night of being alone with her?_ Kai groaned to himself.

Of course Black Dranzer had to comment as the dark phoenix snickered, "_If you didn't care about this girl then this wouldn't be a problem for you, you know_?"

Kai didn't respond to it as he was tired of getting nowhere in the argument.

Instead he asked aloud, "So what's for dinner, now?"

"Same thing we were going to have before and you'll find out when it's ready. It's a surprise," Cassie said appearing happy and Kai knew that the girl must be grinning.

"Whatever, is there anything to do to pass the time until then?"

"Not really, unless you want to play more video games."

"I'll pass, I had enough of those last night."

"Okay you relax there then while I go and work at cooking our dinner," the girl suggested and before Kai could make a response he heard her disappear into the kitchen.

The girl was making a loud ruckass as she riffled for a pan and collected whatever she needed for the meal but Kai didn't pay the noise much heed. The young man allowed the sounds to die away as he made himself comfortable and drifted into the whirring depths of his mind. Kai even blocked out Black Dranzer's pestering voice as he tried to sift throught the thoughts and emotions that were buzzing around in his head.

_What am I supposed to do? I shouldn't feel this way but Cassie is so nice and funny and smart... And she's such a good looking, cute girl... I like having her around with me... Oh shit! What am I thinking? I should be loyal to Bree. What would she think if when I finally manage to get back home that I have these feelings for someone else? No, I won't betray her like that! I love Bree... Cassie is just a friend... nothing more! _

_Besides even if something more was possible thanks to these damn emotions, Cassie is a cute enough girl that she could get any guy she wanted... She probably doesn't even care about me in that way anyway. But if it were possible by some slim chance would I really want more to happen between us? Is it possible that I really could like Cassie? No... there's no way! Bree is the one I should be with... I have to stop thinking like this! But what if my emotions I feel for Cassie really are true? I wouldn't know what to do..._

Cassie's voice broke through Kai's reverie, bringing him back to reality, "Hey are you alright? Your little birdie friend isn't bothering you again is he?"

"No, not yet. I'm fine..." Kai lied as he thought to himself, _It's not like I can really tell her about my conflicting emotions that keep confusing the hell out of me!_

"If you're sure, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's just... I don't know if I'll ever get home. And it's been so long that I've been gone... what if everyone I care about have just forgotten about me by now," Kai confessed his worries.

"I doubt that anyone could really forget about you and I'm sure that you'll see them again soon. If it helps you know that you have friends and people who care about you here too, right?"

"I guess," Kai replied glancing down towards the ground as he didn't know how to deal with everything that was flitting around his mind.

Kai felt a hand on his shoulder as the girl who sat next to him commented, "You really miss them, don't you? Though I don't exactly see what's so special about this girl of yours..."

"Well Bree and I grew up together... She was there to help me out when I needed her through all the hard times in my life. We have history and I really care about her," Kai replied thinking back to the good times he'd shared with her and their friends.

The girl seemed to sense the conversation was upsetting Kai and not helping to lighten his mood as she changed the subject, "I think our food's just about done cooking, it's starting to smell good."

Kai had to agree with her, "Yeah, I guess it does. You going to tell me what it is yet?"

"You'll see when it's done. It's so great, I know you're going to love it," Cassie happily said in her usual cheery tone of voice.

"We'll see... shouldn't you still be in the kitchen keeping an eye on it as it cooks?"

"Not really, it just needs to sit in the oven until it starts beeping at me," Cassie replied and as soon as she'd spoken there was a sound from the kitchen. "Oh shut up! I'm coming already," Cassie yelled at the appliance as she went to tend to their dinner.

Kai was curious about what it could be that had Cassie so excited so he followed her into the kitchen. Looking over the girl's shoulder, Kai used Black Dranzer's sight to see a round pie shaped crust of dough, topped with cheese and some kind of circular meat that filled its doughy base.

Not sure what to make of the strange pie, Kai raised an eyebrow as he inquired, "So what exactly is this stuff?"

"What is it? It's pizza," Cassie exclaimed as the young man heard her set down the thing she called pizza to cool away from the oven.

Her answer not bringing Kai any clarity he wondered, "What on earth is pizza?"

Cassie appeared baffled, "Did I hear you right, do you really not know what pizza is?"

"Nope, never heard of it," Kai shrugged.

"Wow first video games and now pizza... what did your grandfather have you living under, a rock?" The girl shook her head before prodding, "Well it's awesome, you have to try it!"

Kai rolled his eyes toward her as he realized she had placed a plate with a slice of pizza on it in front of him.

"And what the hell makes you think I'm actually going to eat it?" Kai growled, crossing his arms and glaring in Cassie's direction.

"Oh come on Kai, pizza's the best! Take a bite and try it already!"

As Cassie continued to pester him about the food she praised so much, Kai irritably grimaced, "Will you shut up and leave me alone about it if I do?"

"Yep," the girl stated and Kai heard her push the plate closer to him.

"Fine, I'll eat it but it better not be poisoned or anything," the grey haired young man grumbled as he grabbed the piece of pizza and went to bite into it.

As the flavour of the food entered into his mouth Kai's crimson orbs lit up and he continued to eat it, gobbling the pizza down. The pizza was delicious, probably the best thing he'd ever tasted and Kai was enjoying every bite and morsel of it.

"See, I told you you'd like it," Cassie stated sounding triumphant.

Kai ignored her as he continued to devour the delicious pizza. He even accepted seconds as he was hungrier than he'd originally thought. Unfortunately for the young man, his pleasure at actually enjoying what he ate for once was disturbed as the phone started ringing again.

"Don't worry I'll get it, it's probably just Ray calling to bug us by seeing how we're doing. You just keep eating and enjoying your pizza," Cassie offered as she rose to answer the annoying ringing device. Picking up the phone Cassie answered, "Hello... Oh you must be one of Ray's old friends... No my brother's not here right now, he's still at work. Maybe I can help you instead... About Beyblading, huh? Wait, hang on a minute! I think there's someone here who can help you."

Kai could only here one end of the conversation but he got the gist of what Cassie meant. Especially when she approached him back at the table he knew that his meal had been interrupted.

"Hey Kai, one of your old teammates is on the phone. He says his name's Max, I thought you might want to talk to him."

"Oh sure I'll talk to him," Kai replied and walking over to where the phone sat near the couch in the corner, Kai grinned, "Hello Maxie."

There was a loud scream on the other end and Kai had to remove the device from his ear.

A few minutes passed before the boy on the other end had calmed down enough to speak, "If this is some kind of cruel joke, it's not funny. You may sound like my old captain but you can't be him... Kai's dead!"

"Hate to break it to you but I'm very much alive, I've come back just to haunt you and the rest of the old idiotic team," Kai stated in a spooky sounding voice, he was having fun with Max's reaction.

There was another scream as Kai heard a second voice attempt to reason in the background, "Come on Max, there's no way it could be him... There has to be a logical explanation for this."

"Before you ask, tell the Chief over there that yes there's an explanation it's just too complicated to explain over the phone," the young man said, not wanting to discuss his evil grandfather at that particular moment.

Max still seemed unconvinced by Kai as the boy wondered, "So you're really alive?"

"Yes, now what did you want to talk to Ray about?"

"Well Kenny and me found this book that was written by someone named Kai Hiwatari, Kenny came to American to help out Mom and Emily with their research... Anyway he had some theories about how you could possibly be alive but we weren't sure as we tried to figure it out ourselves. So Kenny and I figured we'd try calling Ray to see what he thought of the whole thing but I guess we don't need his opinion anymore," Max explained sounding as hyper and bouncy as ever.

Kai growled, "Damn that stupid book! How could it have made it so far to reach America already? No one was even supposed to have read it in the first place! I especially don't need you two idiots to know about my messed up childhood!"

"Yeah, I think now we see why you never really opened yourself up to us back when we were the Bladebreakers," Max commented and he and Kenny continued to go on with different topics for a while.

They wanted to know how Kai's life was going since they'd last seen him. Kai was careful to make his answers vague enough so that he didn't give away too much information yet still provided them with some details so they would leave him alone and stop interrogating him.

After what felt to Kai like an excruciating long time of the younger boys trying to catch up on Kai's dealings Max spoke up.

"Well it was nice hearing from you again, man. Maybe we'll have to come pay you guys a visit once the weather's lightened up a bit over there."

"Whatever," Kai shrugged and hanging up the phone, the crimson eyed young man sat back down to finish his pizza.

"So did you have a nice talk?" Cassie wondered curiously.

"Yeah I guess," Kai replied as he resumed enjoying his dinner.

* * *

The rest of the night went on pretty smoothly. Kai seemed a little too full from the delicious pizza to do very much. So Cassie let him be for a while as her companion lay stretched out on the couch. Deciding to do her own thing Cassie settled down on the couch opposite Kai as she too got comfortable, lying down with a good book.

As the night progressed Cassie lost herself in what she was reading. While it seemed like Kai had drifted off to sleep at some point in the quiet peaceful atmosphere within the apartment. But the atmosphere was disturbed as an agonized scream tore through the room, breaking the silence. Cassie glanced up from her book and over in the direction of where the sound had come from to see Kai bolt awake upright, drenched in his own sweat.

Concerned the girl called over, "Kai?"

"I'm fine... just another nightmare. I'm really starting to hate these damn things," the young man voiced, his grey bangs flying back and forth as he shook his head in an attempt to rid the frightening images from his mind.

"It'll be alright... they're just bad dreams, Kai."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who's sleep is constantly plagued by them," the young man retorted.

"Well if they're really so bad that you can't sleep, maybe you just need to enlighten someone about these nightmares of yours," Cassie suggested feeling sympathy for her companion.

"If you want to know about what happened to me why don't you go read that stupid book?"

"Because I would like to hear it from you," the girl replied putting down the book she was reading.

She went over to sit on the edge of the couch in the corner Kai now occupied in a sitting position. Cassie was unsure of whether or not he would respond to her as Kai took in a long deep breath. So when he did finally speak the girl was bewildered as all the pain and suffering Kai had been subjected to throughout the years of his life spilled out from inside of him.

_Poor Kai, I never knew how much he's really been through. I guess now I understand why he's the way he is and why he wants to go back home to his friends and family so badly... I probably would too if I were in his shoes... But how am I supposed to comfort him now that I know all this?_ Cassie thought to herself, unsure what to say to ease the melancholy of the young man next to her.

As Kai finished relaying the despicable events that had occurred to him in his past a golden glow could be spotted grazing the horizon. The girl noticed that the light shining to meet her were rays from the sun. The two of them seemed to have stayed up together all night. As the new dawn sparkled into life, silence crept back into the room of the apartment.

The air in the room was void of sound, stilling the space between Cassie and Kai like a suffocating cloak. So the girl did the only thing she could think of to assist the hurting young man in easing his pain. Cassie wrapped her arms around Kai and drew him into a comforting hug. As she embraced him the young man seemed to accept her friendly gesture as he refrained from pushing her away.

The two of them stayed like that for what was to Cassie a timeless span as sounds of daybreak greeted them through the windows. Cassie was happy by their closeness. She was thrilled that Kai had at last opened up to her and that he trusted her enough to know his painful past and to hug him in such a caring, affectionate way. The girl was so happy that she almost missed the sound of a key being turned in the door. Unfortunately for her Kai noticed the sound and he pulled away from the girl, resuming his normal position of crossed arms with his eyes closed shut.

Cassie's blissful moment was short lived as her brother's voice called out, "Hey guys, I'm home! Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

The words jerked Cassie's mind down from the clouds and regaining her awareness she responded, "Your friend Max called and Kai was talking to him for a while but other than that it was a pretty quiet night."

The boy laughed as he remarked, "Nice, Max must have been freaked when he found out Kai's actually alive! And if it was a quiet night then you two must have really enjoyed your little time alone together."

"Hn, not really. I'm going back to the bedroom," Kai declared as the young man stood from the couch and strode off from the living room.

As the grey haired young man passed by Ray the amber eyed boy approached his sister and wondered, "Man, what's eating him?"

"I don't know he was acting just fine a minute ago before you came in here. I don't get that guy sometimes," Cassie grumbled, mentally cursing her brother for his lack of better timing.

"That's just the way he is I guess... at least he's always been that way around me and the guys," Ray shrugged in reply plopping down on the other couch as if he was pretty exhausted.

"But he's perfectly fine around me at school and when we're alone together."

"Really? Maybe that's his way of saying he likes you or something along those lines... He's always put up a cold front around me."

"Kai liking me? Yeah right Ray! He's head over heels in love for that stupid childhood sweetheart of his," Cassie exclaimed her temper rising as her anger of the situation surfaced again.

"Oh so you do like him?" Ray pressed, the boy appearing to perk up.

"I do not like Kai so shut up and drop it already, Ray!"

"If you don't like him then why are you sounding just like a jealous girlfriend?"

"I do not!" Cassie snapped, flustered and the girl smacked her brother over the head.

"Ow! That really hurt you know? You can be such a mean sister sometimes," Ray whined as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I wouldn't have to be if you behaved yourself and stopped being such a nosy moron!"

"Okay... okay... I'll drop the subject already... Why don't you tell me what Kai thought of the pizza?"

"I was right and you lose," the girl smirked.

"You mean that he actually ate it?"

"Yep I win! It's just like I keep telling you everybody loves pizza and not even Kai can resist its yummy charm! So pay up, bro!"

Ray groaned reluctantly handing her a five dollar bill having lost the bet he'd made with his sister at Kai's expense.

Cassie's grin widened as she pocketed the money and remarked, "You know I thought you would've learned not to make bets with me. You should know by now that I always win. Oh well I guess there's still no brains in that hollow skull of yours," Cassie beamed teasingly making fun of her brother.

Insulted the raven haired boy exclaimed, "Hey I have a brain!"

"Whatever you say... if you excuse me I have to get ready for school."

"She's definitely spending way too much time with Kai," Ray muttered after her as the girl got up and walked off down the hall.

Instead of returning to her own bedroom Cassie stopped at the other door to check up on Kai. Wondering how her friend was doing she peeked into her brother's bedroom.

Grinning Cassie asked, "You're okay, aren't you?"

"Yeah fine, I just wish this stupid thing in my head would shut itself up," Kai replied recognizing Cassie by the sound of her voice.

"That's good, at least you're okay. What's it going on about this time?"

"Nothing you need to know," Kai retorted appearing to become testy.

"Alright I didn't mean to pry. I just figured I'd remind you it's already Sunday so you'll be ready when we have to leave for school later tonight."

"Oh yeah, that detail... Uh... thanks... I guess."

Cassie wasn't expecting it but she hoped that Kai's words of gratitude were for more than just the reminder. She continued wondering about it as she went off to pack. Getting ready for another week of school, the amber eyed girl left Kai to the contentment of his solitude.

* * *

There you guys go.. I'm in a good celebratory mood today so cookies for everyone who reviews. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, even if it was mainly filler I figured I'd bring some of the team back into the story. Anyway thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far and let me know what you think of this chapter as well, or if you have any ideas of stuff that you'd like to see in the fic. Suggestions are always welcome and I love hearing what you guys have to say. It always helps me with inspiration and if you're lucky I'll have the next chapter up and ready soon for all of you who are Tala and Bryan fans.


	13. Family Bonding

I know it's been a long time since I've wrote this and I'm sorry for the long wait. I need to rethink how I was planning on writing this so it will be another wait for another chapter. This chapter is dedicated to Lord of Fluff who's been wanting to see this for a while and just had a birthday recently so happy birthday. Hopefully this nice long chaper on the life of the Russians can hold you over for now until I get back into writing the main plot of the story. And I don't own the song Angel To You, Devil To Me it's by The Click Five. Anyway enjoy the chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Family Bonding**

Within one of the many buildings in the heart of downtown Russia a man was diligently working away at a desk. The man possessed light lilac hair and blue eyes that stared off into space. As he inspected the blankness of the office wall before him the man fiddled with a pen. He was supposed to be using the pen to sign his paperwork but he was just too bored out of his mind to care.

Letting out a sigh the purple haired main thought to himself, _It's been a week since Valentine's Day and things seem to be looking up. Bree's finally getting better which will be good for Tala. Her moodiness has been hard on the family, especially for him. Tala really cares about her and it's not fair that he has to deal with her acting like this. I know that Bree's upset and we all hate seeing her this way but if anyone should be missing Kai it's Kayla. He was her brother and last remaining relative or good one at least after all._

_Sure it's not the same without Kai around and all but he's been dead for two years. It's not like he can just come back. Sis should realize that by now just like the rest of us. Oh well... I guess all we can really do is try to get Bree to lighten up and get her to realize how good she has it being with Tala. It's the least I can do for my best friend. With how much he loves her and how the two of them had a kid and everything he shouldn't have to suffer just because my sister can't get over Kai..._

Breaking through the silence into the man's wandering mind, he heard one of his coworkers call over to him, "Hello... Earth to Bryan! You coming for lunch or what?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Bryan replied to the coworker who had disturbed him.

Putting down his pen, Bryan Balkov set aside his papers. He was happy to leave the confines of the office as he gladly went to make his way down to lunch. Heading through the halls of the building where he worked with his brother-in-law his ears picked up on the daily gossip that went on around him. It sounded to Bryan like his colleges that passed him by were muttering something about the higher ups were thinking of promotions and everyone was wondering who would be blessed by the job.

These whispers of hushed conversation intrigued Bryan as he walked and after a while the man finally reached his destination. The man had at last found himself in a large mess hall where the meals were held. The room was big enough for everyone who had jobs there to fit inside it as well as any of the kids who were studying how to Beyblade if they became hungry.

Grabbing up a tray Bryan looked for a spot where he could sit and eat. He found an open seat at one of the tables next to a magenta haired guy with a big nose wearing goggles. The Balkovs and Ivanovs knew this young Russian man well as they had been on good terms for a number of years. So Bryan didn't really mind joining the guy and plopped himself down at the table to enjoy his meal.

Claiming his seat at the table Bryan took a bite from his sandwich and curiously wondered, "Hey Ian, where's Tala?"

"I think he's still busy working. Have you heard about the new management?"

"Oh so that's what everyone's been going on about? I heard a little, maybe you could explain it more to me," Bryan replied, interested in hearing the news.

"Well from what I've heard Dickinson and the higher ups are discussing new management of the BBA here in Russia. Apparently they want someone closer to our office to supervise the work that goes on here rather than have what we're doing run all the way from Japan," the other man explained.

"So do you think that one of us is going to be getting the promotion?" Bryan inquired as he speculated on the prospect.

"I guess that it's possible... All I know is that the new boss is supposed to be Russian and someone who Mr. Dickinson trusts. With the old man getting on in years I guess he would want someone who's close to him and knows the area at the same time. But they're only rumors anything can happen really I suppose... I don't know," Ian stated divulging the information he'd gathered on the subject to Bryan.

The two men continued to discuss work related topics until one of the other guys eating in the mess hall suddenly pointed out, "Hey Bry, isn't that your sister?"

Glancing around the room, Bryan noticed that there was a purple haired girl standing at the door. He left his lunch to go over to her and as he approached he noticed that his little redheaded nephew was held in he girl's arms.

Seeing his sister there, Bryan wondered, "Bree? What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Tala. I thought that I'd bring little Kai down here to see his Daddy at work. The secretary at the lobby said that I could find him here but I don't see Tala anywhere. Do you know where I could find him, Bry?"

"Yeah I think he's still up in the office. Why don't you grab Kai something to eat and wait here? I'll go get him for you, sis," suggested the male Balkov.

Bree agreed and sat down with the little boy to enjoy some lunch while Bryan went off in search of his best friend. Locating the room where Tala worked, Bryan found the redheaded man going over some papers of his own. As Tala worked he appeared to be listening to some music that played over the radio.

**When I saw her she looked my way  
And I knew that I was over my head  
Ruby lips on a smile so sweet  
With a rude attitude that could knock me dead**

**Suddenly**  
**I heard a voice when she called my name**  
**Suddenly**  
**I knew my life was gonna change**

**Well she's hotter than hell**  
**And she's cool as they come**  
**And she's smart and she's wild**  
**All rolled into one**  
**Ya you say I'm the guy that you wish you could be**  
**It's not easy to see**  
**That she's an angel to you**  
**But she's a devil to me**

**All my friends say you lucky guy**  
**Everyone wants to stand in your place**  
**And so I give it another try**  
**I'm not sure how much more my poor heart can take**

**Suddenly**  
**I feel the blood pumpin' round my brain**  
**Suddenly**  
**I grab my bat and I'm back in the game**

**Well she's hotter than hell**  
**And she's cool as they come**  
**And she's smart and she's wild**  
**All rolled into one**  
**Ya you say I'm the guy that you wish you could be**  
**It's not easy to see**  
**That she's an angel to you**  
**But she's a devil to me**

**I don't know what to do**  
**I don't know what to say**  
**Cause noone knows that she puts me through anyway**  
**I'm awake in disaster**  
**I can't seem to get past her**  
**I try and I try but I can't get away**

**Yeah ****She's an angel to you  
She's a devil to me  
She's an angel to you  
She's a devil to me  
It's not easy to see**

**Well she's hotter than hell**  
**And she's cool as they come**  
**And she's smart and she's wild**  
**All rolled into one**  
**Ya you say I'm the guy that you wish you could be**  
**It's not easy to see**  
**She's a devil to me**

**Well she's hotter than hell  
And she's cool as they come  
And she's smart and she's wild  
All rolled into one  
Ya you say I'm the guy that you wish you could be  
It's not easy to see  
That she's an angel to you  
But she's a devil to me  
**  
The song faded out and Bryan placed a hand on Tala's shoulder as he entered through the door.

"You know I don't think that sis would be too happy if she knew you were listening to stuff like this," Bryan grinned as his best friend glanced up at him.

"It's not my fault it came on the radio and how would she even know about it anyway? Besides we all know that Kai's the one your sister wants and that she'd go back to him if she could," Tala stated with a pained expression and saddened tone to his voice.

"Okay then, answer me this man. If she wants Kai so badly then why is my sister down in the mess hall with your son?"

"I don't know... you're probably just saying that to make me feel better and get me to come down to lunch."

"Oh yeah like I'd really do something that mean to you. If you weren't so depressed from wallowing in your self pity to work through lunch then you would know that Bree's down there waiting for you."

"Whatever Bry, I've got paperwork to finish and it's not like to efforts to cheer Bree up ever even helps anyway," the redhead mumbled, his icy blue eyes shifting back down to his stack of papers.

The purple haired man smacked his friend over the head as he snapped, "Don't you get it, you idiot? Your wife has brought your son to come and see you at work! You're getting through to her so something you're doing has to be right! Bree's been getting better and she's finally starting to heal, trust me."

It seemed that Bryan's words had finally managed to hit their mark as Tala pushed his work aside and rose up from his desk. Turning around towards the door, the two men were about to leave when a knocking at the office stopped them. Bryan opened the door he had closed behind him earlier to reveal Bree who was standing at the entrance.

"Sorry for not waiting, bro. I know you said you were going to get Tala but this little guy was getting impatient. So I had someone show me up here," Bree explained as Kai ran up to Tala and hugged his Father.

Picking up his son the redheaded man smiled, "Hey there, have you been being a good boy for Mommy?"

The little boy nodded with a giggle and Tala's ice blue gems darted over to his wife.

"Well I guess it looks like Bryan was right and you really are here..."

"Yeah sis, he thought that I was joking or lying to him," the other Balkov grumbled indignantly.

"Gee thanks a lot Tala, it's nice to know that you have so much faith in me," Bree teased as she swatted her husband over the head.

"What? I wasn't expecting to see you... And what's with you guys and my head? What is it hit Tala day or something?"

"Yes and we're reminding you that there's supposed to be a brain in that hollow skull of yours and not just hot air," the purple haired man mocked with an amused smirk.

"Hey, I resent that!" Tala glared, insulted by his best friend, "I have a brain. Don't I, Bree?"

"Well that's beside the point but if you really want my opinion it's hard to say," grinned the woman.

Sulking Tala sniffled, "I see how it is. You guys are all so mean, even my own wife doesn't have faith in me!"

Snuggling up close to the sulking man Kai added, "I like you Daddy."

"Well at least you still love me son," Tala replied, returning the boy's hug.

Shaking her head, Bryan's sister remarked, "Okay that's enough Tala, stop being so melodramatic. You know that we love you. We're here because your son wanted to see you. So I brought him with me just to surprise you."

"Well doesn't that make me feel special? What a wonderful wife I have," Tala voiced cheerfully as he graced the woman with a loving kiss.

Bree lovingly returned the gesture until Bryan broke the silence of their sweet moment.

"I think I'm going to leave you alone before you two start to get all intimate on me. Have fun with sis and your son, man. Now if you excuse me I believe there's half of a sandwich with my name on it," Bryan announced as he departed from the little family to return down to the mess hall.

* * *

Staring dreamily into the beautiful eyes of his wife, Tala laughed, "Bryan and his food. You'd think that he wouldn't think with his stomach so much after growing up in the abbey."

"Maybe we should follow him, it's not like you've really eaten anything today," Tala's wife scolded.

"I'm fine, I'm not that hungry. I was planning on skipping lunch and working right through it anyway," replied the redheaded man.

"Okay so are you going to show me around then or something?"

"Sure, do you want to see more of the place where Daddy works Kai?"

"Yeah!" The little boy exclaimed, happily clapping his cute small hands.

"Alright then, let's go. There's still some time left in our break before I have to get serious again and back to business," Tala responded as he playfully ruffled his son's small tuft of flaming red hair.

The three of them exited from the office to go off on their way. Tala showed his wife and son around, giving them a quick tour of the building that housed the Russian branch of the BBA. It was the same building where the Beyblade World Championships had been held all those years ago. A state of the art stadium that had once belonged to the Russian Czars before Biovolt had fixed the place up. Now it was taken over by the BBA and was a happy, lively facility since the whole mess of the past was long over and dealt with.

Kai was having fun exploring the big place where Tala earned his money. The boy's big blue eyes lit up with awe as the small family arrived at the last stop on Tala's tour. It was a part of the complex that remained a huge Beystadium. This stadium was where the redheaded man spent his afternoons teaching hopeful young Beybladers in the fun sport.

Tala's little son seemed drawn to the life sized beydish as he asked in hopeful awe, "Daddy, can we play in that?"

"Well the kids I'm supposed to be teaching for our new Beyblade team should be here soon... But I guess we could have a short battle," Tala replied, unable to say no to his son's adorable look of cute anticipation.

Stepping up to he dish, Tala drew out the grey blade that was home to his wolf bitbeast. With his old partner at his side he launched the beyblade against his son who sent forth Dranzer. Though the great phoenix possessed the power of its old finesse and stamina, it still didn't stand much of a chance against Tala and Wolborg.

The redheaded man recalled back to his younger days with the professional feel of the tournaments. His skills and speed coming back to him were enough to overpower and outclass the dark blue Beyblade that challenged him.

Kai retrieved his fallen Beyblade, the little boy appearing disappointed he had lost. Tala went over to him to cheer up his son while his own Beyblade still remained spinning.

"You know you're getting a lot better. If you keep on improving the way you are then with a little more practice you'll be a great Beyblader. Maybe you'll even get better than me one of these days," Tala encouraged with a smile.

His son cheerfully beamed back up at him as if the sad feelings had been forgotten. Having helped Kai to feel better, Tala stepped down to the stadium to retrieve his Wolborg.

As he picked up the Beyblade he heard a voice speak up from behind him, "Wow Mr. Ivanov, we never knew that you could blade like that!"

Tala glanced over to notice that his students had joined them.

"Sorry about that kids. My son here wanted to try out the dish," Tala sheepishly greeted.

"Aw he's so cute," another kid cooed and wondered, "What's the little guys name?"

"His name's Kai, he and his mother came to pay me a visit today. So I was just showing them around during the break," the man replied as he introduced his son.

Approaching the guys Bree remarked, "Well I guess we should probably leave you to get back to your work. Come on Kai, say bye bye to Daddy."

"But Mommy... I wanna play," the little redhead protested.

"We can play more when I get home, okay?" Tala attempted to reason but his son looked so sad and heartbroken to be leaving so soon.

"Good riddance, it's not like a little brat like that could ever hope to stand a chance against one of us," one of the boys Tala was supposed to teach remarked in a dark, cinnical tone.

"Oh yeah, I'll show you!" Kai glared, his blue eyes turning to any icy shade like his Father's as he struggled to free himself of his Mother.

"Yeah right, even if you could have a chance to battle me you'd never win kid," the guy smugly scoffed as he dismissed Tala's angered son.

It was a blonde boy who had made the insults and disliking the attitude the boy was showing towards his son, Tala declared, "Petrov, you'd do best not to underestimate my son. But since you feel so strongly about his abilities, I think I'll allow him to teach you a thing or two."

Kai smiled at his Dad's words as he eagerly readied Dranzer to launch for a second time. Bree on the other hand was obviously unimpressed by Tala's decision.

"Tala, this is not a good idea! I do not approve of this! What if he gets himself hurt or loses so badly he becomes discouraged from Beyblading?"

"He'll be fine, Bree. Kai needs to learn how to blade against a real opponent sooner or later. What better time to teach him then now, when he can defend himself against someone who questions his skills?"

"I guess... but I still think he's too young. We should wait until he's older before we let him battle like this," she argued.

"He's an Ivanov, he's going to take being insulted like this lying down. I think Kai would be pretty upset if we don't let him battle. Besides I'll make sure that nothing goes wrong so nothing bad is going to happen to him. So don't worry Bree," Talal reassured his wife before turning to the dish. The boys standing there were ready to battle and appeared like they were itching to fight. "I want a nice clean match from you two. That goes double for you Seth, so play nice!"

"Yeah fine, Mr. Ivanov. It's not like this battle is really going to last long enough for any of my special moves anyway. This baby won't even last five minutes in the dish with me," Seth snorted, earning him icy daggers from all three Ivanovs with his continuous disrespect.

Tala shook his red locks at the Petrov boy's ignorance as he signaled the battle to begin. The dark blue blade soared forth to hit its mark. It landed square in the centre, striking at the light blue blade the older blonde commanded. Dranzer wobbled slightly from the confidence and power in its opponents blunt attacks. Kai called the dark blue blade away from the cocky blonde's Beyblade.

He switched tactics to send Dranzer in an elegant movement around the dish. The Beyblade danced around its opponent as Seth attempted to corner the dark blue blade. The older boy determined to strike it down. As Dranzer's blur whizzed around the light blue object Seth's anger appeared to boil up inside him. The blonde's face became a flustered red colour as he nearly exploded in his frustration.

"Stand still and go down already, you pathetic little baby," Seth growled, expressing his agitation as the battle dragged on.

"That's it Kai! Use your opponent's arrogance against him! Seth is all strength and no strategy. You've just got to keep wearing him until you can find the precise moment to attack," Tala called out, encouraging his son while he watched the thrilling match.

"Do you really think I can beat him, Daddy?"

"I know you can, he's nowhere near as tough as I am. You just need to call up your power to fight back at him and remember to stay focused," Tala advised as Seth made another attempt at knocking out Kai's blade.

Dranzer casually maneuvered away from the attack. The movement was just in time as little Kai tried to figure out what he should do to counter Seth's brute force.

"How do I win this when he's got more strength than I do? Wait... I've got Dranzer. If I could get Dranzer to work for me then its power would be enough for me to stop this big stupid bully," the redheaded boy thought aloud, talking out what he would do to win the match.

Seth continued to shout out insults but Tala's son was oblivious to them. The small boy was now determined in his plan to call upon the power of the phoenix that resided within the Beyblade. As Kai concentrated the centre of the dark blue object began to glow with a bright red light.

It was the sign of a bitbeast being summoned and as Tala watched the feat he thought to himself, _It __looks like my son's finally learned to work as one with his bitbeast. It's hard to believe he's been able to figure out such a powerful skill all on his own. I'm so proud of him. It's great to see that all my training has paying off. Kai will be a skilled Beyblader in no time and we just might make a World Champion out of him yet._

A moment later the red glow erupted as the scarlet fiery bird rose in all its shimmering splendor and glory. Tala's gaze turned back to his son who was mesmerized by the Great Phoenix. The little boy's own crystal orbs were struck in awe at the mythical creature's inspiring form and he was unable to pull himself away from the sight of it.

"You and your pretty little birdy aren't so tough... I can still beat you," Seth exclaimed, sounding worried.

As he scanned the other side of the dish Tala could see the fear that was plainly written all across the blonde boy's face. The man was contemplating calling an end to the match before Seth had a chance to use any of his dirty tricks. Since the man had witness the light blue blade charging up for one final attack.

As Seth's Beyblade spun steadily faster the blonde sneered, "We're going to end this now! I'm going to send you crying back to your Mommy, baby!"

Seth's Beyblade was about ready to charge but Dranzer was far faster and more graceful than its clumsy opponent that relied on nothing but power. The dark blue blade vanished into a red flash as Dranzer flew like an arrow to collide into the Beyblade that challenged it. Overwhelmed by both Dranzer's attack and its own uncontrollable rotation, Seth's Beyblade shattered into pieces.

Little Kai jumped for joy as he triumphantly giggled, "Yay I won, that was so much fun!"

The little boy relished in his victory, celebrating in his own cute little way. His opponent, Seth stood in shock at the other side of the Beydish. He was stunned with disbelief.

"No! This wasn't supposed to happen... How could this happen? His Beyblade was the one that's supposed to be destroyed and lying in pieces... not mine!"

Tala went over to congratulate his son, flinging his little boy up into the air.

"I'm so proud of you, Kai! Being able to use Dranzer so well at your age and on your first try. It was such a great match, I knew that you could do it. You're definitely mine and Bree's son, you had our pure raw talent from the start," Tala praised, bringing his son into his loving arms and hugging him close.

Then at Seth's words Tala turned a cold hard gaze in the blonde's direction. "As for you, Petrov! If you think that you're going to get away with planning your tricks to demolish Dranzer then you are sadly mistaken. I can't have someone who's as reckless and a bullying brute as you on this team. Get out of my sight and don't let me catch you coming around here again!"

"But I'm the best blader here!You need me... Who else are you going to get that can carry these losers? That little brat of yours?"

"He's not a brat and though he's still far too young he could probably do very well on a team. Now I thought that I told you to leave? I don't care how good of a Beyblader you think you are, a kid as self centered and selfish as you will never make it to any tournament," Tala declared in a harsh tone as he was disgusted by the way one of his trainees had treated his little boy.

As Seth stormed off, Bree claimed Kai from his Father's arms and she wondered, "Don't you think that you were a little rough on him?"still would

"No, he was going to hurt our son! Besides it wasn't just his attitude today this wasn't a one time thing. That kid is always getting on my nerves and trying to pick fights. Even without what happened to Kai I still would've kicked him out sooner or later anyway," Tala replied as he gave the woman who was his wife a gentle kiss.

She returned the kiss and said, "Well I guess we should probably go now and let you get back to your work."

"Aw Mommy, I wanna stay with Daddy," Kai whined, reaching out towards his Dad.

"Your Mommy's right son, you've distracted me long enough. We'll play more when I get home, I promise. So I'll see you later after work, Kai," the man replied as he ruffled his son's short red and purple hair one last time.

"We'll see you back at home later tonight then," Bree said, bidding her husband farewell.

"Bye, bye Daddy," Kai added with a cute wave.

Tala smiled in response as he shared a final kiss with his wonderful wife. They finally pulled apart and the woman he loved carried their son from the stadium, off to head home.

As Tala watched them go he thought to himself, _Man I think Bryan was on to something. I guess that I really am doing something right. I mean she wouldn't have come to visit me or seem so happy if I weren't... would she? Maybe it's possible that my efforts are finally starting to get through to her after all... And then the three of us can be a real family at last without having to worry about the sadness of the past._

* * *

The afternoon passed by slowly for Bree. Kai was ancy waiting for his Dad, the little boy impatiently wanting Tala to come home already. The purple haired woman was running out of ways to occupy her son around the house. Just then her blue haired friend entered the living room with Bree's niece.

"Hey Bree, did you have a good visit with the guys?" The girl wondered as she greeted the other Mother.

"Yeah Kayla, going to see Tala at work was a good idea. But I think Kai had a little too much fun. I can't get him to settle down now that he's spent time with his Daddy," replied the purple haired woman as her son she'd mentioned energetically ran around the house.

Kayla looked thoughtful for a moment before suggesting, "Hmm... why don't we try taking the kids to the park? They can burn off some of that extra steam and energy while Bryan and Tala are away. Then we can beat them back here before they return at the end of the day."

"Sound like a plan. That should work to calm Kai down long enough until dinner time," Bree agreed as she went to collect her son so they could get ready, "Kai, we're going to the park to play for a while with your Auntie and cousin."

The two Mother's headed off to a local park with their children. It was a good kid friendly playground and the area consisted of many wooden benches that surrounded it. Bree's little boy was happy to be outside in the fresh air again. He and his cousin jumped enthusiastically onto the play equipment.

Bree and Kayla sat themselves down together where they would be able to easily keep an eye on their children's antics. As Bree's son and niece enjoyed themselves by playing games and running the woman watched as they played eagerly. As she kept a close watch on her son especially, Bree chatted away with her best friend.

"So what's been going on between you and Tala? I mean you guys have been married for two years and in my opinion you don't spend nearly enough time together," the blue haired girl observed as she pried into Bree's relationship.

"I don't know... I guess my old feelings for your brother just keep on getting in the way..."

Kayla placed a hand on the older Mother's shoulder, "We all miss him Bree but my brother is gone and there's nothing any of us can do to bring him back."

"I know Kayla, Bry and Tala keep reminding me of that. I care about Tala... really I do. He's my husband and such a great guy and I love everything about him. I just don't know if the void left behind by Kai can ever fully be filled..." Bree sighed, admitting her conflicting emotions.

"I know that it hurts after what happened but I was able to make peace with it. Bryan helped me get through the terrible time of losing my brother with how he's always been there for me ever since. Maybe if you have a nice long talk with Tala and open yourself up to him more you'll see how good things are for you and be able to heal."

"Yeah, maybe you're right... It's just going to take me some time and I have been spending more time with Tala and our son. Being around the family has been helping to heal my wounds a lot. I know that I have to be a good wife and Mother for Kai's sake... It's just hard for me to bring myself to move on with how much we loved each other and everything we went through. It's all just so confusing... I wish I knew how to deal with all these feelings that keep trying to tear me apart..."

"If you want my opinion I say that you should go by what your heart tells you. We haven't really had a good chance to discuss this fully before but you're the only one who can decide what you want. Just be sure you think carefully about how you choose. You can't just decide on only what what will make you happy. You need to think about what will be best for your husband and your little boy's sakes too," Kayla advised as the day grew late.

"Yeah, I guess I'll do that. I want to be there for little Kai and I'm tired of making everyone miserable because of my indecisiveness. Especially Tala when he's been so good to me and putting so much effort into brightening my spirits. I don't want him or anyone else to be in pain because of me. I'll just have to sit and think long and hard on what I do and figure things out on my own," Bree declared with determination.

Sitting there the woman pondered on her emotions that circled around inside of her head just bursting to be let out.

"There you go but you should still remember that you're not alone in this. It's true that only you can make the right decision on how to deal with these emotions of yours. But you have Tala with you on this too and if you need any help or someone to talk to then you should go to him. You too are married and he is your husband after all. I'm sure he would give you support and lend a hand however he can. The two of you are a team and you should be sharing what's bothering you with him. You and Tala are in his together.

"Besides it doesn't do anyone any good to keep things bottled up inside. So you should quit this overextended mourning of yours and start being happy and having fun again with your family! You know when I suggested that you should go see Tala today at work it wasn't just so Kai could see his Father. It was supposed to be for you too. I was hoping that it would help to cheer you up and that it would be something that could be a good experience for the both of you," Kayla smiled in confession of her attempts to cheer up the purple haired woman.

"Yeah I know Kayla and it was good having some time to spend with Tala. Though I think Kai got more out of it than I did... Don't worry I assure you I'll talk to him after I've been able to think it over and I know how to share this better with him. Now why don't we change the subject, besides shouldn't I be the one giving you advise and asking questions about my brother and not the other way around?"

"So what if I'm a few years younger than you? That doesn't mean that I can't be looking out for you too once in a while. It's always good to have a friend to talk to about complicated stuff like this. And for the record Bryan and I are dong very well and things between us are fine," the younger girl grinned, "So what more is there to talk about, if you want to discuss something else?"

"I don't know... you can go into more detail on your relationship with my brother for a change of pace," Bree smirked as she caught the blush that crept over Kayla's cheeks to light up the girl's face.

"As I said the two of us are doing quite well and things between us haven't been better," Kayla began as she humored her companion with some gossip on the relationship.

The two of them continued to talk amongst themselves as they switched between different topics of discussion. While they spent their day bonding the two of them noticed that their kids were becoming worn out. So the women decided to return home. As they carried off the tuckered out children Bree and Kayla resumed their more regular day to day conversation.

It had been quite some time since the women had last had a spare moment to have a good serious chat the way they had. Kayla had managed to provide Bree with some useful insight. Surprisingly enough gossiping alone with the blue haired girl had initiated Bree to realize she had a lot to think on about both her family and herself.

* * *

"Hey you've heard the rumors about there being a new boss, haven't you Tala?" Bryan wondered as he and his redheaded friend traversed the snowy Russian streets.

Tala raised his brow in question, "No, what new boss are you going on about?"

Tala seemed as if he listened intently as Bryan explained the information Ian had relayed to him earlier that day.

"Well I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens then," the redhead commented once Bryan had finished.

The two of them went on in that fashion for some time. Bryan and Tala continued to discuss the different aspects of their work as they made the trek back home. It was a leisurely, casual stroll that their feet carried them on. In no time at all the men had reached their small quaint happy home that rested on the edge of the city.

Entering through the front door, the purple haired man and his companion were for once greeted by silence.

Suspiciously Bryan whispered, "It's too quiet... I don't trust it."

"Me neither, how much you want to bet the girls are up to something," agreed Tala.

"You're probably right. Come on, let's see if we can sneak up on them before they try pulling some kind of trick," Bryan suggested with a smirk.

He quietly crept forward into the living room with Tala following close behind him. Inside the room Bryan's sister and girlfriend were stretched out on one of the couches. The two girls looked extremely relaxed and peaceful in the silence of the area. Coming up from behind, Bryan seized Kayla in his arms and had obviously caught his girlfriend off guard. In the same fashion Tala attempted to sneak up on his wife as well. It seemed like the redhead had hoped to mimic the other man's actions but Tala had no success. The purple haired woman seemed ready for his attack as if she had noticed the men join them.

Eying her with an accusatory glance, Bryan demanded, "Okay you two, where are the buckets of snow or whatever else you have hiding to have crashing down on our heads?"

Kayla smiled up innocently at the purple haired man who was standing behind her, "As good an idea as that is... what are you going on about, Bry?"

"Don't try playing innocent with me! We know you're up to something," accused Bryan.

"Have you fallen on your head again, bro?" Bree wondered with a look that said he was acting like an idiot.

"What Bryan means is that you two are clearly trying to lure us into a false sense of security. With how it's way too quiet around here," Tala answered, the redhead sounding surprised as he glanced about himself, "Like with how the kids aren't running around here. I thought that Kai wanted to play some more when we got home?"

"Oh that... Yeah he did. But Kai and Bridget were exhausted by the end of the afternoon so we put them down for a nap," Bryan's younger sister explained, letting out a yawn as she rested her head against her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah, you guys really need to stop thinking that everyone's out to get you," Kayla grinned as Bryan sat down next to his blue haired girlfriend to pull her close to him.

As he embraced her in his muscular arms Bryan more calmly stated, "I guess that explains why it's so quiet. So what have you girls been up to all day?"

"Oh nothing much, we just took the kids out to the park after seeing you at your wonderful job. They got some good fresh air and exercise and Kayla and I were able to have a nice talk," Bree replied with a small hint of sarcasm.

"So that's how the kids managed to get so tuckered out before dinner time. Did you girls talk about anything interesting?" Bryan pried hoping he would hear an informative response.

"Nothing too important. We just had a little heart to heart, didn't we Bree?

"That's right, it's nothing you guys need to worry about or concern yourselves with," Bree grinned in agreement with Bryan's girlfriend.

"Come on sis, what's wrong with filling us in on your day?"

"Nothing's wrong with it I guess but it's more fun leaving you boys in the dark. Now if you excuse me I think dinner's ready," the girl who was Bryan's sister stated.

The purple haired woman removed herself from her seat next to Tala and disappeared into the kitchen. With his sister gone Bryan turned his attention over to his girlfriend instead.

"If my sister doesn't want to talk then why don't you enlighten us, Kayla?" Bryan asked the remaining girl, his blue gaze possessing a questioning look.

"She's right, it's nothing that you need to worry about. Just some girl talk... you guys wouldn't be interested in it. I'm going to go check up on Bree and see how she's doing with dinner," Kayla giggled, eluding the question as she scampered off after her friend.

Bryan and Tala locked glances as they were abandoned in the living room. The two men were lost for words for a moment as they tried to piece together what exactly had just happened.

Bryan was the first to speak as he remarked, "On second thought I'm not sure I want to know what those girls have been up to. Who knows what they discuss when we're not around, it's probably nothing good. On the plus side sis seems to be in a better mood these days at least."

"Yeah maybe... I hope so anyway... I wish you would be more like her old self and open up her emotions to me more," Tala hopefully responded with a wistful glint to his ice like eyes.

The purple haired man observing the distant, far off gaze in his best friend's blue depths. Feeling sorry for him Bryan slung a sympathetic arm around the redhead who appeared so forlorn and dismal.

"Hey, cheer up man. It'll be fine so there's no need to look so glum. Sis has always been so strong, she'll get over this before you know it. I know my sister and I think she's already starting to figure out that you guys belong together. Things will get better for you soon, you'll see Tala," Bryan reassured as he didn't want Tala to feel as if it was the end of the world.

"You better be right. Your sister's moods are really starting to bug me and get on my nerves. Though she does seem to be getting better with having little Kai around . So maybe there really is some hope for us after all."

"Oh you're just upset because you haven't been able to get any in bed," Bryan snickered.

Tala playfully slapped Bryan's hand away as he shrugged off the other man's arm and glared, "Oh will you shut up! It's not like you're one to talk. I mean you haven't even proposed to Kayla or anything yet either."

"Hey I've gotten something out of being with her. Or need I remind you that we've had a wonderful little girl together? As for proposing you know that she's still a little too young for me to be able to marry her," Bryan defending himself against his friend's words.

"But the two of you obviously really love each other. So why don't you just propose to her early or give her a promise ring or something? You know until she's old enough you can get married to her properly," Tala suggested with a supportive pat on Bryan's back.

"Well maybe I will," Bryan declared and before another word could be uttered on the matter a head of blue hair peeped around the corner.

"Whatever you guys are going on about could one of you take a break from it and get the kids for dinner while Bree and I set the table?"

"Yeah sure Kayla. I guess we'll have to finish talking about this later. Just remember what I said Tala and keep your spirits high," Bryan pointed out as he slunk over to the kitchen.

The purple haired man attempted to sneak a peek at what was cooking for dinner before obliging his girlfriend's request.

"Same goes for you, man. You should take what I said into consideration too, Bry," Tala called after him.

Bryan obviously wasn't going to do as they'd been told so Tala decided to go off in the other direction towards the stairs instead. The purple haired man had barely paid attention to his friend's departure as he caught a glimpse of a simmering pot of hot food. Unfortunately for him before Bryan could sample a taste of it Bree swatted him away.

"Get away from there, you! You'll be able to eat just as soon as the rest of the family gets down here. I thought being annoying and causing trouble was supposed to be Tala's job... But seeing how you're so eager to be in here bro, you can make yourself useful and help us with setting the table," the younger Balkov scolded and with a groan Bryan obliged her.

It struck a chord at the man's ego that he'd been caught but he didn't wish to incur his sister's wrath any farther. So he assisted in the preparations for the meal. Once the table was ready with the food set out, Tala returned bringing his son and Bryan's daughter with him. The kids appeared to be well rested and ready to eat as they were curious what had been cooked for them that evening.

Seeing his daughter Bryan forgot about his own nagging appetite for a moment. He gave his little girl a loving hug as he smiled down at her. As he placed the small girl back down, Bridget jumped into her chair next to her parents. She and Kai had finally settled down long enough to tackle their food as the family gathered together at the table for the enjoyable meal.

With the children's amusement Bryan let out a chuckle as he and the rest of the adults dug in to their own appetizing plates of food. Like everyone else around him, Bryan enjoyed the wonderful delicious meal that had been made by the women. As the purple haired man satisfied his hunger, he thought of how his life had been blessed.

Even after all the carnage and torment of the abbey life had still managed to find a way to be good to them somehow. There was great food to be had, he had a steady well paying job and he was surrounded by a wonderful loving family who cared about him. Despite all the grief and strife they had all been through, Bryan decided that the bond between them could never be stronger. No matter what trials the future held in store for the Balkovs and Ivanovs, Bryan knew that they would be able to surpass them together as a family.

* * *

There you go, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I hope the length made up for the long wait and hat this was a satisfying enough chapter for you all. It could have been better if I had Kai Hiwatari in this but he'll be in the next one when I find the time to wrie it and remember what I was planning to do with this. Anyway I hope that you liked seeing Tala and Bryan and the others going through a bit of their daily lives with work and stuff. I found this to be a good chapter and I hope tha you all did. Let me know what you think in a review and I'll write more when I can.


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